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beskeptigal
SFN Die Hard
USA
3834 Posts |
 Posted - 01/24/2007 : 17:58:38
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Disgusting. I went on the Chase Visa account site. A good 5 minutes after I logged off, an audio VISA commercial makes me jump out of my seat.
Worse, there was no visible box anywhere indicating what file was playing. I had to log off the net in order to close the invisible window.
I hate these sleaze bags. I might just cancel that card. There are a number of VISA account managing sites which are independent, I believe. This one was Chase. My other VISA card is on bank-one or some such name.
I didn't think to minimize all the windows to see if the audio file was a pop under. It still had to be designed in some way to hide the file from the menu bar.
Any of you computer savvy folks know what's the deal with this new marketing assault weapon?
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H. Humbert
SFN Die Hard
USA
4574 Posts |
Posted - 01/24/2007 : 18:02:29 [Permalink]
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Most of these seem to be web-based programs (java or flash, I'm presuming) and expand out of a space reserved for advertizing. Some ads will even follow you if you scroll down the page. It's not a pop-up/under since it's a part of the web page you're viewing.
Usually they shrink back into their block if left to play in full, and most will have an X that let's you close them down at any time, although many can be difficult to locate.
Since ads are often in rotation, sometimes simply refreshing the webpage will skip past one with annoying audio.
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"A man is his own easiest dupe, for what he wishes to be true he generally believes to be true." --Demosthenes
"The first principle is that you must not fool yourself - and you are the easiest person to fool." --Richard P. Feynman
"Face facts with dignity." --found inside a fortune cookie |
| Edited by - H. Humbert on 01/24/2007 18:06:52 |
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beskeptigal
SFN Die Hard
USA
3834 Posts |
Posted - 01/24/2007 : 18:23:24 [Permalink]
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But I had closed the web page minutes before the sound started. I even logged out and closed it.
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H. Humbert
SFN Die Hard
USA
4574 Posts |
Posted - 01/24/2007 : 18:26:27 [Permalink]
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Hmm, so you had sound playing even with your browser closed? That's a new one on me, and I can't see how it would be possible without some spyware creeping onto your system. If that happened to me, I'd be pissed as well.
Edited to add: Ok, I'm still confused. You said you had to "log off the net" to get the ad to stop playing, so your browser was still open, correct? So what makes you think the ad which was playing had anything to do with logging into the Chase website minutes earlier? Chase is a big advertiser, and it very well could have been coincidence if you stumbled across a Chase ad that appeared on an unrelated website. It doesn't sound like the two have anything to do with one another...unless I'm still misunderstanding something.
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"A man is his own easiest dupe, for what he wishes to be true he generally believes to be true." --Demosthenes
"The first principle is that you must not fool yourself - and you are the easiest person to fool." --Richard P. Feynman
"Face facts with dignity." --found inside a fortune cookie |
| Edited by - H. Humbert on 01/24/2007 18:56:45 |
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JohnOAS
SFN Regular
Australia
800 Posts |
Posted - 01/28/2007 : 15:21:22 [Permalink]
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I agree with H., something is a little odd. Something that plays audio with no browser windows open goes beyond the strategies that most advertisers use, at least those of legal/mainstream products.
It's possible that it was a hidden browser window. Both Firefox and IE have options to block, or at least warn you of pop ups, if you have it enabled. (I'm making a guess that you're using one of these two, statistically, my odds are pretty good).
I'll just add that any web page that plays sounds at you without consent is damn annoying. I'm not sure what's worse, smiley's that scream at you, or really bad organ "background" music at high volume. Shudder.
P.S. I just thought, a somewhat cute way to achieve that would have been to start playing the ad as soon as you visited the site, but simply to prepend 5-10 minutes of silence to it, for surprise effect. I seriously doubt that this was was happened though.
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John's just this guy, you know. |
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pleco
SFN Addict
USA
2998 Posts |
Posted - 01/28/2007 : 15:58:15 [Permalink]
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| I would get AdAware and/or Spybot and/or Windows Defender and scan you system. (all are free downloads) |
by Filthy
The neo-con methane machine will soon be running at full fart. |
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| Edited by - pleco on 01/28/2007 15:59:21 |
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beskeptigal
SFN Die Hard
USA
3834 Posts |
Posted - 01/29/2007 : 02:16:10 [Permalink]
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I logged off the VISA site and closed the window, not turned off the browser. I had to turn off the browser to get it to stop. And we do have those ad blockers running. Spybot and Adaware, Zone Alarm and I forget what all else. My son keeps things tuned up nicely.
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| Edited by - beskeptigal on 01/29/2007 02:17:57 |
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Ricky
SFN Die Hard
USA
4907 Posts |
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JohnOAS
SFN Regular
Australia
800 Posts |
Posted - 01/29/2007 : 15:55:51 [Permalink]
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quote:
Originally posted by Ricky
I think we are getting mixed up with definitions. I know I certainly am.
quote:
I logged off the VISA site and closed the window, not turned off the browser.
How do you close the window (I take it the window of the browser?) and not "turn off" the browser? Do you mean you had multiple instances of your browser running, and only closed one of them?
quote:
But I had closed the web page minutes before the sound started. I even logged out and closed it.
What do you mean "logged out"? Logged out of windows XP?
My guess is that beskeptigal means she closed the instance or tab on which the banking page was displayed.
If the music was coming from a hidden window/tab, launched from the original page, obviously closing other windows won't stop or kill it. In windows you can easily use task manager to se that there's still a copy of your browser running, even when all visible browser windows have gone.
From a software point of view, it's certainly antisocial behaviour, enough so that I'd classify it as malware, even though it isn't malicious. |
John's just this guy, you know. |
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@tomic
Administrator
USA
4607 Posts |
Posted - 01/29/2007 : 20:50:22 [Permalink]
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quote:
I'd classify it as malware, even though it isn't malicious.
Scumware perhaps? Spamware? The name isn't as important as the fact that she was served with something she hadn't requested.
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Gravity, not just a good idea...it's the law!
Sportsbettingacumen.com: The science of sports betting |
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beskeptigal
SFN Die Hard
USA
3834 Posts |
Posted - 01/30/2007 : 02:56:33 [Permalink]
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I've always referred to a tab as a window, Ricky. What did you call them before tabs were the term du jour? As for logging out or off, I can see why you missed that. When I go on my bank site, my HMO site, credit card site, purchasing account sites and my library card site I always log out when I'm done so the window doesn't stay open and someone can pretend to be me. When you log into the forum or stay logged in it doesn't matter so no one logs out of those sites usually. I assumed you'd know why I'd be logging out of the VISA card site. It was my card account.
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| Edited by - beskeptigal on 01/30/2007 02:57:27 |
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beskeptigal
SFN Die Hard
USA
3834 Posts |
Posted - 02/09/2007 : 02:13:21 [Permalink]
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Great, it happened again. The bastards. I didn't go on the VISA website anytime in the last 24 hours. The stupid audio pop up came on again, same one out of the blue. It wasn't behind any window, I minimized them all and no file was visible. I had to close the browser to shut it off.
Clearly it's spyware which installed itself and it had to defeat our Spybot or whatever is running. If these a'holes think I'd ever buy anything from them they are idiots.
Why is this crap legal? Maybe I'll cut up all my VISA cards. I have Discover and Mastercard. I think I will see about contacting the corporate office and complaining. It's probably some outsourced sales agency.
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beskeptigal
SFN Die Hard
USA
3834 Posts |
Posted - 02/10/2007 : 18:56:32 [Permalink]
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Corporate claims they forwarded my e-mail to the appropriate party. We'll see.
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Siberia
SFN Addict
Brazil
2322 Posts |
Posted - 02/10/2007 : 19:06:00 [Permalink]
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| Perhaps it was an ad in a banner or some such that you didn't notice in the browser window(s) that was open? 'cause I've seen random ads in banners that have sound, and they can pop basically in any page with such banners. |
"Why are you afraid of something you're not even sure exists?"
- The Kovenant, Via Negativa
"People who don't like their beliefs being laughed at shouldn't have such funny beliefs."
-- unknown
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