# Why Am I Starting To Get Popups When I Log Into SDMB? Never Happened Before...
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-am-i-starting-to-get-popups-when-i-log-into-sdmb-never-happened-before/209455
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [October 25, 2003, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-am-i-starting-to-get-popups-when-i-log-into-sdmb-never-happened-before/209455 "2003-10-25T06:13:50Z")
**Posts on this page:** 11
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)
#### Post date: [October 25, 2003, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-am-i-starting-to-get-popups-when-i-log-into-sdmb-never-happened-before/209455/1 "2003-10-25T06:13:50Z")
I have been on this board for awhile now, and within the last few weeks, I have been getting a whole lot of annoying popup ads when I log into the boards.
What’s up?
I have a popup stopper, but these things are sneaking up in the milli-second from loading to showing the threads.
Is it just my computers (both at work and at home) or is this somethng new?
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### Author:  [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)
#### Post date: [October 25, 2003, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-am-i-starting-to-get-popups-when-i-log-into-sdmb-never-happened-before/209455/2 "2003-10-25T06:16:31Z")
I think this has been discussed before, it was said that the pop-ups don’t come from this site, and that it might be spyware on your systems.
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### Author:  [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)
#### Post date: [October 25, 2003, 7:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-am-i-starting-to-get-popups-when-i-log-into-sdmb-never-happened-before/209455/3 "2003-10-25T07:45:58Z")
It’s not this site. You’ve got Gator or some other obnoxious third-party advertising software. Try Ad-Aware.
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### Author:  [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)
#### Post date: [October 25, 2003, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-am-i-starting-to-get-popups-when-i-log-into-sdmb-never-happened-before/209455/4 "2003-10-25T07:47:43Z")
Pfft! Ad-Aware? Try Spybot – far more effective.
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### Author:  [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)
#### Post date: [October 25, 2003, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-am-i-starting-to-get-popups-when-i-log-into-sdmb-never-happened-before/209455/5 "2003-10-25T11:31:41Z")
Ad-aware and spybot are both good, and they both catch things that the other misses.
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### Author:  [@Futile\_Gesture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Futile_Gesture)
#### Post date: [October 25, 2003, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-am-i-starting-to-get-popups-when-i-log-into-sdmb-never-happened-before/209455/6 "2003-10-25T14:12:55Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Smeghead \*
> \*\*It’s not this site. You’ve got Gator or some other obnoxious third-party advertising software. Try Ad-Aware. \*\*
Just don’t call it spyware. [Gator doesn’t like that.](http://news.com.com/2100-1032_3-5095051.html?tag=nefd_top) So calling it spyware would be very bad.
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### Author:  [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)
#### Post date: [October 25, 2003, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-am-i-starting-to-get-popups-when-i-log-into-sdmb-never-happened-before/209455/7 "2003-10-25T14:21:44Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Futile Gesture \*
> \*\*Just don’t call it spyware. [Gator doesn’t like that.](http://news.com.com/2100-1032_3-5095051.html?tag=nefd_top) So calling it spyware would be very bad. \*\*
Use the Spam Language:
Gator is sp.y.wa.re.fh75z-45mf8
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### Author:  [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)
#### Post date: [October 25, 2003, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-am-i-starting-to-get-popups-when-i-log-into-sdmb-never-happened-before/209455/8 "2003-10-25T15:21:31Z")
No, Gator is adware. Spyware monitors your system and reports back keystrokes, web pages visited, or whatever it was programmed to.
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### Author:  [@moriah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moriah)
#### Post date: [October 25, 2003, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-am-i-starting-to-get-popups-when-i-log-into-sdmb-never-happened-before/209455/9 "2003-10-25T21:58:46Z")
Mental note: Do not refer to Gator Adware as ‘spyware,’ or else they’ll sue your pants off.
In the future, call it “evil Gator intrusive adware.”
Got it. I sure hope Gator is happy I made the change.
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### Author:  [@Nanoda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nanoda)
#### Post date: [October 25, 2003, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-am-i-starting-to-get-popups-when-i-log-into-sdmb-never-happened-before/209455/10 "2003-10-25T23:44:28Z")
**Q.E.D.** : According to [this page](http://www.alanluber.com/pcfearfactor/officiagatorpage.htm), Gator _does_ report which pages you visit, the list of which they sell to advertisers.
Don’t care what they say, I’m calling it spyware.
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### Author:  [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)
#### Post date: [October 25, 2003, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-am-i-starting-to-get-popups-when-i-log-into-sdmb-never-happened-before/209455/11 "2003-10-25T23:52:35Z")
Yeah, that would qualify it as spyware in my book.