Help !! Invasion of the Data Snatchers !

[YamadudeXS650C]

I have done a pretty good job blocking ads from appearing on my screen over the years, and I don't mind receiving a few of them.

However, I've fallen victim to a new, invasive, insidious form of pop-ups. Please help.

I am getting an advertising web-pages appearing, often from EBay or other sellers, with a product related to content based on recent searches I have done.

I tried doing my searches on Bing instead of Google. No change.
I have tried clearing my search data regularly; does not help the matter at all.
Installing Ad-Blocker Plus didn't have any effect on the problem.

I'm currently on Google Chrome as a browser, and it has its advantages, so I'm disinclined to move back to another .

Any ideas ?

Thanks

 

[Jim]

Go to Chrome's settings and clear everything....

 

[YamadudeXS650C]

Go to Chrome's settings and clear everything....

View attachment 140843

Yup, have regularly done so. No effect on the issue.

 

[Jim]

Sometimes you have to manually empty the cache files. Pesky little buggers sometime repopulate.
Navigate to Cache and delete everything in there. Make sure Chrome is closed when you do it.

 

[YamadudeXS650C]

Sometimes you have to manually empty the cache files. Pesky little buggers sometime repopulate.
Navigate to Cache and delete everything in there. Make sure Chrome is closed when you do it.

View attachment 140844

Thanks, Jim.
It seems to me, however, that a problem with op-up ads shouldnt require such an intensive cache clean-up.
Never has required such, for me.
This seems to be a new, invasive web disease.

I've been doing Windows Defender Security Essentials scans targeted for viruses and spyware, to no avail.

 

[Jim]

Give the coders at Google a day or so.... they'll write a little snippet tellin' Cache to delete it normally. It's a constant can 'n mouse game.

 

[gggGary]

It may be your phone listening to what you are doing. https://www.narcity.com/news/theres...-about-but-havent-actually-searched-up-online

Google {Wire tap} how do I set timing on an XS650?

 

[YamadudeXS650C]

Give the coders at Google a day or so.... they'll write a little snippet tellin' Cache to delete it normally. It's a constant can 'n mouse game.

This would be good; however, this issue has been occurring for me for 2 months, and I've been chasing solutions all this time.
I've got 10 a six-pack of Bell's Two-hearted Ale ready for the guy who solves this issue....

 

[YamadudeXS650C]

Yikes..
That is a much more scary proposition that I was imagining, Gary, but it doesn't apply to me, I'm happy to report..

 

[Jim]

Sometimes the little buggers hide here.... Try emptying you Windows Temp files?

 

[Jim]

....and here.

 

[Jim]

You check your "Extensions".... make sure they didn't sneak one in on ya?

 

[YamadudeXS650C]

The offer of the beer and the cash remains open for a solution (and explanation: solutions are a dime-a-dozen) to the issue.
My girlfriend, who is a masseuse, has added an offer of a foot massage.

 

[xjwmx]

In that case. Uninstall Chrome and reinstall it. Export your bookmarks just in case, but the uninstall will probably leave them alone. Google chrome export bookmarks to find out how. Don't know when I'll get up to NY again, so can she do ASMR ?

 

[YamadudeXS650C]

ASMR

ASMR ??

 

[xjwmx]

It's a brave new world.
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=asmr+foot+massage

 

[TwoManyXS1Bs]

...I'm currently on Google Chrome as a browser, ...

Do you also use Gmail?

If so, you likely have a Google account.
Those guys maintain a separate database of your activities, on *their* servers, so cleaning up *your* computer has no affect. You'll have to go into your Google account, and disable targeted advertising. Or, more serious, reset your user advertising ID, to flush it clean...

 

[xjwmx]

Signing out of google ought to break that connection. They still pretend like you're really signed out... My experience noticing other peoples computers is most of the real crap comes from widgets they'vve clicked on to install and they have about fifteen toolbars and a hundred little widget icons. Uninstalling completely and reinstalling should be a good way to start over unless it's locked on like a virus. I use Firefox and feel like I have pretty complete control. You can check a box to block popups. Also you can look into installing a "hosts" file which is just a text file you put in a certain directory that blocks any website in the list, including domains and subdomains serving ads. I don't even see any ads that everybody normally sees. You can download a hosts file that's already filled out to block just about all advertising.

 

[YamadudeXS650C]

Do you also use Gmail?

If so, you likely have a Google account.
Those guys maintain a separate database of your activities, on *their* servers, so cleaning up *your* computer has no affect. You'll have to go into your Google account, and disable targeted advertising. Or, more serious, reset your user advertising ID, to flush it clean...

Aha! Although I don't use Gmail, I do have a YouTube account, so I do have a Google account, which I forgot about.
I just changed a number of seemingly relevant settings in my account; didn't help.
When I have more time later today, I'll get back to this, digging deeper into the account settings.

And I might try signing out of Google altogether.

 

[YamadudeXS650C]

I've spent much of the day looking for an appropriately large bus to throw Google under.

After studying the details of my account, it is very clear that, like Facebook, Google has spent massive efforts to capture and exploit our data, and make it very difficult for us to exert some control.

However, after turning off some more settings relevant to ad capture, I seem to have blocked these offensive webpage pop-ups.

At least for now.

Thanks for the assistance, guys.