# What is this Viglink?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-viglink/696105
**Category:** About This Message Board
**Created:** [August 21, 2014, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-viglink/696105 "2014-08-21T16:59:02Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 2
### Author:  [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)
#### Post date: [August 23, 2014, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-viglink/696105/21 "2014-08-23T20:22:28Z")
> [@TubaDiva](#):
>
> It will make us look more carefully for violations of the two-click rule for material not safe for work so be aware when you link, please.
Just to add: the “two click rule” is designed for safety for those browsing at work, not to accidentally have a sexy picture pop up on your screen when your boss walks by. We call it a “rule” but it’s really a “policy” (See: [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=7697028#post7697028](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=7697028#post7697028) ) There’s no reprimand if someone fails to set up two-clicks, unless a person persists in doing it deliberately after many gentle reminders.
Like spoiler tags, this is a convenience for other readers. So, basically, we’d like y’all to make it easier for others by using two-clicks on links to stuff not workplace-safe; if someone forgets or fails, please report it and a moderator will fix. It’s not like a black mark on anyone’s record.
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### Author:  [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)
#### Post date: [August 23, 2014, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-viglink/696105/22 "2014-08-23T20:34:27Z")
> [@Giraffe](#):
>
> Also, for anyone having the link mangling issue I mentioned, apparently you can disable Viglink on a given machine/device at the following link: [http://www.viglink.com/opt-out](http://www.viglink.com/opt-out)
Thanks, **Giraffe**. And just to confirm, it works on my iPhone, too.
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### Author:  [@rsa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rsa)
#### Post date: [August 24, 2014, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-viglink/696105/23 "2014-08-24T00:21:35Z")
So this viglink doesn’t exist on the SDMB server, but it has been either installed, or more likely, enabled somehow on my machine without my consent? How is this not ad-ware / malware / spy-ware? Why don’t I see it on other sites? (And yes, I do sometimes hover over links.)
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### Author:  [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)
#### Post date: [August 24, 2014, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-viglink/696105/24 "2014-08-24T13:56:53Z")
> [@rsa](#):
>
> So this viglink doesn’t exist on the SDMB server, but it has been either installed, or more likely, enabled somehow on my machine without my consent? How is this not ad-ware / malware / spy-ware? Why don’t I see it on other sites? (And yes, I do sometimes hover over links.)
The link code is added by the web page before it gets to you. There is nothing installed on your machine at all. It is barely different from a banner ad.
At the bottom of the web page, the host adds a little bit of Javascript to link to Viglink’s script. Viglink’s scripts run thru the page and looking for keywords and makes them into links for advertisers. Then the modified page is fed to you.
Use your browser’s “view source” tool and go to the end to verify this. For the SDMB, you will also find right now little bits of crap for 5 other companies the board has permitted to monitor you and feed ads.
Viglink type page modification is annoying, slows things down and is a general pain. You find it on a lot of barely-getting-by sites who don’t care about user experience.
In my browser, Opera, I added “http://_.viglink.com/_” to my block content list a very long time ago.
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### Author:  [@half-elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/half-elf)
#### Post date: [August 25, 2014, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-viglink/696105/25 "2014-08-25T07:39:30Z")
Hi, I have a minor complaint which I suspect is related to this Vigilink thingy: I noticed that it makes links open in the same tab, whereas normally when you click a (non-Vigi) link it will open in a new tab, which is what I prefer.
This happened on a few occasions fairly recently but I didn’t know about Vigi so didn’t check. After being made aware of Vigilink a couple of days ago I started taking notice and this behaviour happens when it is a Vigilink.
The reason it is annoying is on the one hand I tend to keep the threads I’m most interested in open in separate tabs (Firefox) and on the other sometimes I will explore a linked page thus removing myself even more from the original thread.
Not all sites do this automatically (opening a link in a new tab) but the SDMB does (did?) , so if it is going to use Vigilink perhaps it would be nice if you (PTB) could find a way to make Vigilink threads also open in a new one.
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### Author:  [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)
#### Post date: [August 25, 2014, 10:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-viglink/696105/26 "2014-08-25T10:45:10Z")
> [@half-elf](#):
>
> Hi, I have a minor complaint which I suspect is related to this Vigilink thingy: I noticed that it makes links open in the same tab, whereas normally when you click a (non-Vigi) link it will open in a new tab, which is what I prefer.
> This happened on a few occasions fairly recently but I didn’t know about Vigi so didn’t check. After being made aware of Vigilink a couple of days ago I started taking notice and this behaviour happens when it is a Vigilink.
>
> The reason it is annoying is on the one hand I tend to keep the threads I’m most interested in open in separate tabs (Firefox) and on the other sometimes I will explore a linked page thus removing myself even more from the original thread.
>
> Not all sites do this automatically (opening a link in a new tab) but the SDMB does (did?) , so if it is going to use Vigilink perhaps it would be nice if you (PTB) could find a way to make Vigilink threads also open in a new one.
Viglinks are so useless that I would just suggest either blocking [viglink.com](http://viglink.com) with an adblocker or following Giraffe’s instructions.
I also will suggest that, rather than depending on this behavior, you open sites you want in a new tab by middle clicking on them. That way no site can screw you up.
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### Author:  [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)
#### Post date: [August 25, 2014, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-viglink/696105/27 "2014-08-25T13:14:00Z")
> [@half-elf](#):
>
> Hi, I have a minor complaint which I suspect is related to this Vigilink thingy: I noticed that it makes links open in the same tab, whereas normally when you click a (non-Vigi) link it will open in a new tab, which is what I prefer.
Ugh, yeah, this part is annoying. This is definitely new behavior for me.
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### Author:  [@half-elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/half-elf)
#### Post date: [August 25, 2014, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-viglink/696105/28 "2014-08-25T15:40:48Z")
> [@BigT](#):
>
> Viglinks are so useless that I would just suggest either blocking [viglink.com](http://viglink.com) with an adblocker or following Giraffe’s instructions.
>
> I also will suggest that, rather than depending on this behavior, you open sites you want in a new tab by middle clicking on them. That way no site can screw you up.
Thank you\*\* BigT\*\* .
I do run Adblock. Perhaps I need to tell it specifically about Vigilink. Will check settings as soon as I post.
Other than that, I generally do select “open link in new tab” when browsing, but I had become confident that I didn’t need to do that with SDMB so I generally don’t (didn’t ).
It’s just a bit annoying because I often close the link tab before realizing I longer have the SDMB tab open so I have to do “undo closed tab” and the appropriate number of “back” clicks to get back to my original tab.
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### Author:  [@half-elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/half-elf)
#### Post date: [August 26, 2014, 8:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-viglink/696105/29 "2014-08-26T08:16:34Z")
Follow up question: it appears that \*\*[http://api.viglink.com/api/ping](http://api.viglink.com/api/ping) \*\*is already on my adblock list, but the behaviour I described hasn’t changed.
Advice anyone?
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### Author:  [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)
#### Post date: [August 26, 2014, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-viglink/696105/30 "2014-08-26T15:57:40Z")
Using AdBlock, under Customize, I selected “Block an ad by its URL” and added [viglink.com](http://viglink.com) as a blocked domain. Links are gone.
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### Author:  [@spinky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spinky)
#### Post date: [August 27, 2014, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-viglink/696105/31 "2014-08-27T20:38:30Z")
So let me get this straight. I disable “automatically parse links in text” and mention porn. com in my message. vBulletin leaves this alone and just includes the text in my message, not-linkifying it. The SDMB administration includes a viglink script which, after the page loads, turns that text into a clickable link to the website? And this is somehow not your fault because it happens after the page loads?
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### Author:  [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)
#### Post date: [September 6, 2014, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-viglink/696105/32 "2014-09-06T17:37:20Z")
> [@TubaDiva](#):
>
> Jerry sez it’s not likely to cause a problem and points out that it is more likely a user will post a dangerous link than Viglink auto-generating one.
This is bullshit. Vigilink is actively taking urls that are in noparse tags and making them active links. This means it is making any joke URL or any NSFW url that was posted to comply with the two click rule using noparse tags into active links.
> [@](#):
>
> So for us it’s not an issue. Viglink generated links do not exist anywhere on the SDMB web server or in its database. They are created in each person’s browser after the HTML page has been delivered by the web server but before it is shown in the browser window. From the SDMB web server perspective Viglink generated links do not exist.
But Vigilink is an application that is being hosted by the SDMB. I certainly did not go out and install it, I am not running it on my computer. That the action is technically running on a third party server that you are linked through does not absolve the SDMB responsibility for its actions. You chose that application and are hosting it. Yes, it changed behaviors, but now you are aware that the behavior has changed. That suggests it is time to reevaluate the product, but I know where that suggestion will lead.
I guess I have a solid reason to block Vigilink on my end.
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### Author:  [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)
#### Post date: [September 8, 2014, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-viglink/696105/33 "2014-09-08T17:51:32Z")
FYI: Viglink has now gone “invisible”. instead of a redirect clearly shown on the address bar, the address bar is now emptied and there is a pause before it redirects you to an external link.
i like supporting ads on sites i like to use, but this feels a tad shady for some irrational reason. is it? i’m still not sure i know what it is exactly, and it trying to hide is not helping. it is getting harder and harder to justify not using adblock. i am not even sure there are adblocks for ios.
in any case, people should be notified that they can speed up browsing on the boards by turning on adblock for SDMB… ☹
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### Author:  [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)
#### Post date: [September 8, 2014, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-viglink/696105/34 "2014-09-08T18:05:38Z")
> [@shijinn](#):
>
> FYI: Viglink has now gone “invisible”. instead of a redirect clearly shown on the address bar, the address bar is now emptied and there is a pause before it redirects you to an external link.
>
> i like supporting ads on sites i like to use, but this feels a tad shady for some irrational reason. is it? i’m still not sure i know what it is exactly, and it trying to hide is not helping. it is getting harder and harder to justify not using adblock. i am not even sure there are adblocks for ios.
>
> in any case, people should be notified that they can speed up browsing on the boards by turning on adblock for SDMB… ☹
Mercury Browser for iOS has built-in adblocking. I haven’t tested it with VigLink, but you can add it to a blacklist. It’s available in the App Store.
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### Author:  [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)
#### Post date: [September 8, 2014, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-viglink/696105/35 "2014-09-08T18:27:05Z")
where’s the blacklist? i just see an option to turn adblock on or off under extensions. turning it on reveals no extra options and i don’t see an entry for it on ios settings either.
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### Author:  [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)
#### Post date: [September 8, 2014, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-viglink/696105/36 "2014-09-08T19:01:45Z")
I’m running an older version of Mercury on an iPhone 3GS. I don’t know if it’s the same for the current version, but launch Mercury, then go into the browser settings. Touch “Adblock,” then “Modify Adblock Filters.” There will be a button on the bottom left that says “Add Filter.”
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### Author:  [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)
#### Post date: [September 9, 2014, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-viglink/696105/37 "2014-09-09T11:48:27Z")
TEST WITH THREE DOTS:
[http://boards.straightdope](http://boards.straightdope)…com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=320298
EDIT: Seems to work broke link when it got to the extra dots. Sane with commas.
TEST WITH EXTRA SLASHES AFTER http lead-in:
http:///boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=320298
EDIT: LInk still “fixed”
TEST WITH EXTRA SLASHES LATER IN URL:
> **[Beginner's Guide to Glossary of Terms on Straight Dope Message Boards](https://boards.straightdope.com//sdmb//showthread.php?t=320298)**
>
> There are a number of terms commonly used on the Straight Dope Message Boards, that are basically “in-jokes” or references. There are several threads listing such, I have tried to compile them all into one post here. If anyone has additions or...
EDIT: Link still “fixed”
TEST WITH DROPPING LEADIN:
> **[Beginner's Guide to Glossary of Terms on Straight Dope Message Boards](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=320298)**
>
> There are a number of terms commonly used on the Straight Dope Message Boards, that are basically “in-jokes” or references. There are several threads listing such, I have tried to compile them all into one post here. If anyone has additions or...
EDIT: Link still “fixed”
My best guess for now: use “spoiler” tags for NSFW links, and we’ll just ride with the rest…
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### Author:  [@spinky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spinky)
#### Post date: [September 9, 2014, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-viglink/696105/38 "2014-09-09T16:51:09Z")
Help help i can’t figure out how to make this script i refuse to uninstall stop screwing up my message board.
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### Author:  [@spinky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spinky)
#### Post date: [September 10, 2014, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-viglink/696105/39 "2014-09-10T07:17:03Z")
So are you planning to remove the “Automatically parse links in text” option from the post editor, since the board effectively now ignores it?
By the way, you might have a little mod cleanup to do in threads like [this one](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=532858) and about a million others. I mean, unless you’re totally cool with your board suddenly having active links to stuff like meatspin and lemonparty.
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### Author:  [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)
#### Post date: [September 10, 2014, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-viglink/696105/40 "2014-09-10T14:43:14Z")
> [@spinky](#):
>
> By the way, you might have a little mod cleanup to do in threads like [this one](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=532858) and about a million others. I mean, unless you’re totally cool with your board suddenly having active links to stuff like meatspin and lemonparty.
Since you ref’d that thread, I’ve done the clean-up there (I think), although most of the links were simply to Wikipedia and so not NSFW.
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