# Viglink breaking links **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [August 19, 2017, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/viglink-breaking-links/794107 "2017-08-19T17:28:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2017, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/viglink-breaking-links/794107/1 "2017-08-19T17:28:33Z")
Every link I click on gets automatically turned into a Viglink link. For example: [http://redirect.viglink.com/?format=go&jsonp=vglnk\_150316359664214&key=ce270d38103a630c3181db372a25a052&libId=j6jkk7lh010004p6000DLg9bxwzye&loc=http%3A%2F%2Fboards.straightdope.com%2Fsdmb%2Fshowthread.php%3Fp%3D20425311%23post20425311&v=1&out=https%3A%2F%2Fgop.com%2Frate-trump-job-performance%2F&ref=http%3A%2F%2Fboards.straightdope.com%2Fsdmb%2Fusercp.php&title=The%20Trump%20Administration%3A%20A%20Clusterfuck%20in%20the%20Making%20-%20Page%20209%20-%20Straight%20Dope%20Message%20Board&txt=your%20opinions%20](http://redirect.viglink.com/?format=go&jsonp=vglnk_150316359664214&key=ce270d38103a630c3181db372a25a052&libId=j6jkk7lh010004p6000DLg9bxwzye&loc=http%3A%2F%2Fboards.straightdope.com%2Fsdmb%2Fshowthread.php%3Fp%3D20425311%23post20425311&v=1&out=https%3A%2F%2Fgop.com%2Frate-trump-job-performance%2F&ref=http%3A%2F%2Fboards.straightdope.com%2Fsdmb%2Fusercp.php&title=The%20Trump%20Administration%3A%20A%20Clusterfuck%20in%20the%20Making%20-%20Page%20209%20-%20Straight%20Dope%20Message%20Board&txt=your%20opinions%20) Like that. The problem is, they don’t get sent to the target of the link, they get sent right back to the thread. What’s going on here? Browser is Firefox. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2017, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/viglink-breaking-links/794107/2 "2017-08-19T17:37:38Z")
I don’t know what’s going on in your specific case, but as **engineer\_comp\_geek** once mentioned, if you add “[viglink.com](http://viglink.com)” as a new filter group in Adblock Plus, this nuisance is banished forever. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2017, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/viglink-breaking-links/794107/3 "2017-08-19T17:49:47Z")
You can also navigate directly to [viglink.com](http://viglink.com) and opt out of their service. You don’t need to give them any more info about you than they already have. I did that a couple years ago and have had zero SDMB viglink-related queertrons since. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2017, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/viglink-breaking-links/794107/4 "2017-08-19T18:04:24Z")
> [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](#): > > The problem is, they don’t get sent to the target of the link, they get sent right back to the thread. What’s going on here? Sounds like something is borked on Viglink’s side of things. We don’t have any control over the links that they make, but I’ll let our admins know anyway. As was already mentioned, you can block them or opt-out to get around the problem. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2017, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/viglink-breaking-links/794107/5 "2017-08-19T18:56:52Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > Sounds like something is borked on Viglink’s side of things. We don’t have any control over the links that they make, but I’ll let our admins know anyway. > > As was already mentioned, you can block them or opt-out to get around the problem. That should be: “Sounds like something is _still_ borked on Viglink’s side of things.” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2017, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/viglink-breaking-links/794107/6 "2017-08-19T19:35:53Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > I don’t know what’s going on in your specific case, but as **engineer\_comp\_geek** once mentioned, if you add “[viglink.com](http://viglink.com)” as a new filter group in Adblock Plus, this nuisance is banished forever. This worked. Thanks! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2017, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/viglink-breaking-links/794107/7 "2017-08-19T20:29:02Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > Sounds like something is borked on Viglink’s side of things. We don’t have any control over the links that they make, but I’ll let our admins know anyway. > > As was already mentioned, you can block them or opt-out to get around the problem. We shouldn’t have to block them or opt out. They shouldn’t be allowed at all, because they violate web standards. Vigilink is a [browser hijacker](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Browser_hijacking), and should be treated as the malware it is. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2017, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/viglink-breaking-links/794107/8 "2017-08-20T17:36:03Z")
I’m using someone else’s computer today and the horror of visiting the Dope without an adblocker turned on is complete. How do the Powers That Be expect this site to function for “normal” newcomers? Anyway, adblocking on and configured. Problem solved? Viglink is basically malware. The opt-out option is silly. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2017, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/viglink-breaking-links/794107/9 "2017-09-18T23:00:57Z")
So, after advising everyone that adding “[viglink.com](http://viglink.com)” to Adblock was a terrific way of getting rid of it, I find that it doesn’t work on the new computer, the only difference being it’s a newer version of Firefox and Adblock Plus. I realize this isn’t an SDMB issue but just wondering if it’s working for others with a similar configuration – Firefox 55.0.3 64-bit and Adblock Plus 2.9.1. As before, all I did was create a custom filter with the entry “[viglink.com](http://viglink.com)”. Any link I click or copy inside a post is still hijacked by Viglink. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2017, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/viglink-breaking-links/794107/10 "2017-09-18T23:13:20Z")
I should add to the above – this only happens on the old skin, Straight Dope v3.7.3. Viglink isn’t enabled on the new skin at this time, so you don’t get the redirects even when Adblock is turned off. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2017, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/viglink-breaking-links/794107/11 "2017-09-18T23:52:36Z")
Never mind, forget I ever said anything! :o It works fine. You have to add it as a filter rule, not a filter group, and you have to enable the filter rules to show by toggling “hide/show filters”. I should know this since I’ve already enabled it on several other computers. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2017, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/viglink-breaking-links/794107/12 "2017-09-19T00:36:22Z")
Reedit killed Viglink, and they are desperately trying to find ways to make money. I really wish it would be killed here, too. At least it’s not like one forum where Viglink is actually directly baked into links from the server side. I actually had to make an exception for Viglink on my phone’s adboocker so I could use their links–to other parts of the site! Weird that you guys have to add Viglink to your lists manually. ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2017, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/viglink-breaking-links/794107/13 "2017-09-19T02:08:05Z")
I turned OFF AdBlock for this site because I’m a paid member (and I think it was causing issues, although I no longer remember what those were). WTF is Viglink doing even getting in the way for me? My current workaround is to right-click and open in a new tab, but I seriously don’t appreciate having to do that when I used to be able to just click and go. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2017, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/viglink-breaking-links/794107/14 "2017-09-19T12:49:10Z")
> [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](#): > > **Viglink breaking links** > > Every link I click on gets automatically turned into a Viglink link. For example:. Welcome to Viglink! It’s a horrible idea that should be scorged from the Earth. It redirects links and bypasses the noparse tag. It actively breaks one of the methods for complying with the “two click” rule.