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ISPs Inserting Ads Into Your Pages

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the now-thats-just-slimey dept.

TheWoozle writes "Some ISPs are resorting to a new tactic to increase revenue: inserting advertisements into web pages requested by their end users. They use a transparent web proxy (such as this one) to insert javascript and/or HTML with the ads into pages returned to users. Neither the content providers nor the end-users have been notified that this is taking place, and I'm sure that they weren't asked for permission either."

12 of 434 comments (clear)

  1. Suprise! by dotHectate · · Score: 5, Funny

    It's not like we pay them for our internet access or anything.

    Oh wait, we do... crap.

    --
    Patience is a virtue, but haste is my life.
    1. Re:Suprise! by Qzukk · · Score: 5, Funny

      I thought my ISP was doing this but when I called to complain the helpful tech support person told me that the sites I was visiting must have added new ads to them, since they would never do such a thing. Thanks for reassuring me, John!

      So, slashdot, why are you running 50 ads at the top of every page? I thought when I subscribed I wouldn't have to see these anymore, but since you don't have a friendly guy I can call to talk to about it, I'll have to assume you're trying to screw me over here.

      --
      If I have been able to see further than others, it is because I bought a pair of binoculars.
    2. Re:Suprise! by pipatron · · Score: 5, Funny

      Don't worry! Your Free Market(tm) will take care of this! You can always chose not to have internet, or lay your own fiber! Completely realistic options. It's not my fault you can't afford that. You should have started an ISP just like everyone else!

      --
      c++; /* this makes c bigger but returns the old value */
    3. Re:Suprise! by Hognoxious · · Score: 2, Funny

      Unless it's pa par pa par pa par pa par papapar pa par pa par pa par ... PAH! That never gets old.

      --
      Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
    4. Re:Suprise! by speaker+of+the+truth · · Score: 4, Funny

      It seems to be more and more common to see games in PC and console games I'd be asking for a refund if this weren't the case!
      --
      Using openSUSE instead of Windows since 9th of October, 2007 and liking it.
    5. Re:Suprise! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      ...(1997-ish)...M&Ms, which were just entering the market here.

      Where the hell do you live...Antarctica?

    6. Re:Suprise! by usurper_ii · · Score: 3, Funny

      And let's just say that the ISP could save every packet from every user on the ISP...let's just think of the size of that porn collection. Think about...huge quantities of porn; a vast sea of it. The amount of porn that most slashdotters can only dream about.

      --
      Ron Paul
  2. Re:On the one hand... by Dutch_Cap · · Score: 4, Funny

    And on the third hand... isn't this going to break a whole bunch of websites? I'm having a hard time imagining how they could do it without major side effects.

    Don't worry, I'm sure it's been thoroughly tested with Internet Explorer.

  3. Phone service providers are doing this too by suv4x4 · · Score: 5, Funny

    So if you mom is suddenly very excited on the phone about the latest washing powder or insists that you shave only with 5-blade Gillette for best results, you should know better.

  4. Don't just stand for it! by GFree · · Score: 2, Funny

    Exercise your GOD-GIVEN RIGHT to stop using the offending ISP take your business elsewhere and.

    Failing that, exercise your GOD-GIVEN RIGHT to walk into the ISP's main offices with an automatic shotgun.

    I figure that either way, you're not gonna be using that ISP any longer.

  5. Fair play. by OgGreeb · · Score: 2, Funny

    We should start sending multi-page advertisements with our ISP payments embedded in the middle, to monetize the untapped revenue stream available when the ISPs want to get paid.

    --
    -- Gary Goldberg KA3ZYW 301/249-6501 AIM:OgGreeb Digital Marketing Inc., Bowie, MD //www.digimark.net/
  6. Re:What about code validation? by suv4x4 · · Score: 2, Funny

    I know this won't be everyone's primary concern, but what happens to all of those pages carefully crafted to adhere to a specific standard eg HTML 4.01, XHTML 1.1 or whatever else you may choose? Surely, unless these uninvited contributions also adhere to that specific standard, we have no hope of producing standards-compliant documents.

    If I pour a lethal dose of highly radioactive material over you, you'll sue me since the green skin glow doesn't match your clothes, wouldn't you.