nonstop barrage of full page ad walls

[TheVat]

Just now, StringJunky said:

Sorry. I accidently posted before adding text.

Sokay, and now I'm going to look up Fallen Angel later.  (RW duties call atm).  Thanks for the info.

[Sensei]

4 minutes ago, StringJunky said:

primarily because tv manufacturers only issue software updates for two or three years.

..this is the case with any device..

My primary phone ATM was made in 2019. It has Android v10 built-in. It wont be updated to v11, v12, v13 or v14 etc.

I can do it myself. LineageOS or AOSP or Kali nethunter.. and have Android v14 or my own OS.

 

[StringJunky]

2 minutes ago, TheVat said:

Sokay, and now I'm going to look up Fallen Angel later.  (RW duties call atm).  Thanks for the info.

 It''s Weeping Angel. To get you started: https://www.theverge.com/2017/4/25/15421326/smart-tv-hacking-cia-samsung-weeping-angel-vulnerability

[iNow]

26 minutes ago, StringJunky said:

I'm in the market for a tv

There’s about 237 other ways they’re already tracking you on existing devices you already have or interact with in shops and on public streets. Recommend not stressing too much on the tv. Go for convenience over maximum security unless you’re Jason Bourne.

They’ve already got a master ad and manipulation profile for you personally… and there’s lots and lots of “theys” with different StringJunky consumer profiles used to sell ads and political manipulations and do so in an automated way via algorithms and AIs. Heck… Even your bank and credit card companies are selling data about your purchase items and transaction types, vendors, GPS locations and more. The insurance companies are pulling your movement patterns from your car. These profiles often understand us better than we understand ourselves (see also: TikTok).

Basically, the toothpaste is already out of the tube and it isn’t gonna get put back in due to a different brand tv purchase. 

Edited February 17 by iNow

[MSC]

2 hours ago, StringJunky said:

Some TVs have 5 or more microphones in them, listening for keywords. Ditto other devices.

Yup. Especially the newer smart devices with voice recognition and activation software. Only way for those to work, is for the mic to always be on waiting for the magic catchphrase. "Alexa! Stop listening to me!" Does not work. All it takes is a pipeline for that mic data to get to advertising platforms. 

I imagine if we go and take a look at the fine print on some of terms and conditions on AI assistants and different software, there is probably a bit about agreeing to the mic always being on, but that gets tied to the data they sell and if we've agreed to them using that data... I mean data is a pretty broad term when you think about the amount of sensors in these things. By agreeing to the use of your data, it's pretty all encompassing. If soul were just defined as the part of you that exists externally to you, it's data. 

I mean obviously if you want to use voice activation technology you've just gotta have a hot mic. No way around that without engineering some other conditional for an on/off switch (flip phones that have mic off when closed, mic on in use.) 

I'm gonna do a social media, data driven advertising and influencer culture thread soon. If people are gonna bite the hand that hosts these discussions, better to have a discussion about the larger issues and the actual problem cases. A grounded and structured science based forum doing what it needs to do to get by and pay for it's maintenance and server needs, isn't even a molehill let alone a mountain. YouTube, Facebook, Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Google, Twitter, Snapchat, TikTok. Those are some mountains to talk about.

 

[StringJunky]

2 hours ago, iNow said:

There’s about 237 other ways they’re already tracking you on existing devices you already have or interact with in shops and on public streets. Recommend not stressing too much on the tv. Go for convenience over maximum security unless you’re Jason Bourne.

They’ve already got a master ad and manipulation profile for you personally… and there’s lots and lots of “theys” with different StringJunky consumer profiles used to sell ads and political manipulations and do so in an automated way via algorithms and AIs. Heck… Even your bank and credit card companies are selling data about your purchase items and transaction types, vendors, GPS locations and more. The insurance companies are pulling your movement patterns from your car. These profiles often understand us better than we understand ourselves (see also: TikTok).

Basically, the toothpaste is already out of the tube and it isn’t gonna get put back in due to a different brand tv purchase. 

But you don't have sex in the shop, amongst other things. In the public space, there isn't lot we can do, but in my home they can fuck off. Any government part of 3 Eyes, 5 Eyes spy rings, whatever, can employ one of the other co-miscreants to infiltrate and do the dirty work for them. They also send legal notices to comms companies saying to the effect; "We want to spy on this person and you are legally bound not to notify our targets." Proper Orwellian.

We are no longer in the realm of personal paranoid fantasy that requires unattainable technology. One would be naive to think they aren't trying every trick they can.

Quote

A former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) software engineer who was convicted for carrying out the largest theft of classified information in the agency’s history and of charges related to child abuse imagery was sentenced to 40 years in prison on Thursday.

The 40-year sentence by the US district judge Jesse Furman was for “crimes of espionage, computer hacking, contempt of court, making false statements to the FBI, and child pornography”, federal prosecutors said in a statement. The judge did not impose a life sentence as sought by prosecutors.

Joshua Schulte was convicted in July 2022 on four counts each of espionage and computer hacking and one count of lying to FBI agents, after giving classified materials to the whistleblowing agency WikiLeaks in the so-

Joshua Schulte was convicted in July 2022 on four counts each of espionage and computer hacking and one count of lying to FBI agents, after giving classified information in the so-called Vault 7 leak. Last August, a judge mostly upheld the conviction.

WikiLeaks in March 2017 began publishing the materials, which concerned how the CIA surveilled foreign governments, alleged extremists and others by compromising their electronics and computer networks.

Joshua Schulte was convicted in July 2022 on four counts each of espionage and computer hacking and one count of lying to FBI agents, after giving classified materials to the whistleblowing agency WikiLeaks in the so-called Vault 7 leak. Last August, a judge mostly upheld the conviction.

WikiLeaks in March 2017 began publishing the materials, which concerned how the CIA surveilled foreign governments, alleged extremists and others by compromising their electronics and computer networks.https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/feb/01/joshua-schulte-cia-wikileaks-secrets-trial-sentenced

Have we noticed how many of these "traitors" seem to uniformly land with illegal porn or rape charges?

Edited February 17 by StringJunky

[iNow]

2 hours ago, StringJunky said:

you don't have sex in the shop

Sure I do. As recently as Thursday. 😉

[Sensei]

37 minutes ago, iNow said:

Sure I do. As recently as Thursday. 😉

Use dojo the next time..

 

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

21 hours ago, TheVat said:

Tired of harassment-level ads that constantly drop over the page one is trying to navigate to.  Is there a way to get some feedback to @blike and go back to the usual banner ads or other formats one can scroll past?  Does anyone really think they're going to sell a product by shoving it in our cyber-faces over and over?  I would think there is an inverse relationship between rudeness of ads and sales generated.  SFN is better than this. 

And no, I don't want to change my wifi provider, thanks.

I asked our benevolent overlord Dave about the ad settings, and apparently Google AdSense enabled "vignette" ads without asking us. He's turned them off now. Hopefully that's the end of the issue and they don't find another more irritating thing to turn on.

[MSC]

8 hours ago, StringJunky said:

Some TVs have 5 or more microphones in them, listening for keywords. Ditto other devices.

Yup. Especially the newer smart devices with voice recognition and activation software. Only way for those to work, is for the mic to always be on waiting for the magic catchphrase. "Alexa! Stop listening to me!" Does not work. All it takes is a pipeline for that mic data to get to advertising platforms. 

I imagine if we go and take a look at the fine print on some of terms and conditions on AI assistants and different software, there is probably a bit about agreeing to the mic always being on, but that gets tied to the data they sell and if we've agreed to them using that data... I mean data is a pretty broad term when you think about the amount of sensors in these things. By agreeing to the use of your data, it's pretty all encompassing. If soul were just defined as the part of you that exists externally to you, it's data. 

I mean obviously if you want to use voice activation technology you've just gotta have a hot mic. No way around that without engineering some other conditional for an on/off switch (flip phones that have mic off when closed, mic on in use.) 

I'm gonna do a social media, data driven advertising and influencer culture thread soon. If people are gonna bite the hand that hosts these discussions, better to have a discussion about the larger issues and the actual problem cases. A grounded and structured science based forum doing what it needs to do to get by and pay for it's maintenance and server needs, isn't even a molehill let alone a mountain. YouTube, Facebook, Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Google, Twitter, Snapchat, TikTok. Those are some mountains to talk about.

 

[TheVat]

17 hours ago, Cap'n Refsmmat said:

I asked our benevolent overlord Dave about the ad settings, and apparently Google AdSense enabled "vignette" ads without asking us. He's turned them off now. Hopefully that's the end of the issue and they don't find another more irritating thing to turn on.

Thank you, benevolent overlords!  So... complaining works.  Who knew?  Look out, world!  😀

Now, about my left knee....

[Phi for All]

23 hours ago, TheVat said:

So... complaining works.  Who knew?  Look out, world!  😀

Now, about my left knee....

Go into your Leg settings and turn on Fibulove and Patellamour....

[TheVat]

1 hour ago, Phi for All said:

Go into your Leg settings and turn on Fibulove and Patellamour....

I think the software is cra-shin.

But I doff my cap to your wordplay.  

[MigL]

On 2/17/2024 at 5:21 PM, iNow said:

Sure I do. As recently as Thursday. 😉

Sure old man.
Thursday of what year ?

The new advertising model is a definite improvement.
You don't have to click any windows closed.
However, when I'm reading posts I always think there's a video attachment, and I'm disappointed when it's only an ad.

[zapatos]

It  seems ads are now showing up in the middle of posts. Ironic that we are not allowed to do so, but SFN does it for us. 😆

[exchemist]

7 hours ago, zapatos said:

It  seems ads are now showing up in the middle of posts. Ironic that we are not allowed to do so, but SFN does it for us. 😆

I have now experimented with AdBlock Plus, which is free on the App Store, for my iPad.  At first it did not do much, but a few days ago I found the app contains an option to permit what it calls non-intrusive ads, which is by default enabled on the grounds that the AdBlock people recognise websites need to make some money. My experience however is that that still permits most of the annoying, moving ads that are so distracting to the reader, e.g. on newspaper websites, to get through. I have now found that by turning that off I can suppress these and my reading experience is now vastly improved. I have the feeling it may also stop the ads coming up in the middle of YouTube videos, though it still allows the ones at the start. I'll give it a few more weeks and if no snags emerge I'll install it on the laptop as well.  

[StringJunky]

22 minutes ago, exchemist said:

I have now experimented with AdBlock Plus, which is free on the App Store, for my iPad.  At first it did not do much, but a few days ago I found the app contains an option to permit what it calls non-intrusive ads, which is by default enabled on the grounds that the AdBlock people recognise websites need to make some money. My experience however is that that still permits most of the annoying, moving ads that are so distracting to the reader, e.g. on newspaper websites, to get through. I have now found that by turning that off I can suppress these and my reading experience is now vastly improved. I have the feeling it may also stop the ads coming up in the middle of YouTube videos, though it still allows the ones at the start. I'll give it a few more weeks and if no snags emerge I'll install it on the laptop as well.  

uBlock Origin is available for most platforms. Look in settings as well for more blocks. Ive used it for years.

[exchemist]

2 minutes ago, StringJunky said:

uBlock Origin is available for most platforms. Look in settings as well for more blocks. Ive used it for years.

Thanks. I looked at that but it was not clear to me it can work with Apple Mac OS and Safari.

[StringJunky]

40 minutes ago, exchemist said:

Thanks. I looked at that but it was not clear to me it can work with Apple Mac OS and Safari.

Just looked, it hasn't been available since Safari 13. Adlock has been described as similar. Maybe worth a look?

[exchemist]

2 hours ago, StringJunky said:

Just looked, it hasn't been available since Safari 13. Adlock has been described as similar. Maybe worth a look?

So Adlock as opposed to AdBlock? How very confusing.

[Mordred]

I was getting an ad barrage, just installed the Chrome adblock plus free extension and am currently seeing no ads for my phone I run Samsung internet with its adblock extension to the same results I haven't found a decent android chrome ad block extension that's free

Edited March 27 by Mordred

[Eise]

I use the browser 'brave', when on Windows. I see no advertisements at all. 'brave' is a fork from Chrome, but specially written to block as much advertisements and pop-ups as possible. Pity enough this browser does not exist for Linux. With Chrome on Linux I see an awful lot of advertisement.

[CharonY]

Something like an adblocker (e.g. ublock origin) on firefox should work on Linux?

[KJW]

It seems that the ads have come back.

 

[Sensei]

On 3/27/2024 at 9:46 AM, Eise said:

With Chrome on Linux I see an awful lot of advertisement.

Chrome is a Google product, so this is to be expected.. Conflict of interest..

 

 

Currently on my mobile Android, on SFN, ads appear every few posts or threads.