Question from Kenny: This morning I noticed that my favorite website has started showing videos from something called AdChoices, and I find them really annoying.
They were never there before today so I’m wondering if they’re supposed to be.
My question: Is AdChoices a malware infection? I’ve scanned my system with both Norton and Malwarebytes but they didn’t find anything.
Rick’s answer: Kenny, the short answer to your question is no, AdChoices isn’t a virus or some other form of malware.
It’s actually a legitimate service that helps keep advertisers on the up-and-up while also giving the readers a way to opt out of ads they don’t like. You can read more about AdChoices in detail here if you are interested.
The above said, websites show ads on their pages in order to earn advertising revenue. And truth be told, that favorite website of yours that recently began showing ads on its pages probably did it in order to keep the site online.
Personally, I don’t mind ads all that much. While it’s true that they can be irritating at times, ads are the engine that keeps most of the Internet free for us users.
That being said, some websites are plastered from top to bottom with ads, making it close to impossible to actually use those sites.
I try to avoid sites like that whenever possible, and that seems to work pretty well for me.
Bottom line: AdChoices is a legitimate service, not malware. If you can, try to ignore the ads on your favorite sites and enjoy their content.
Better still, consider patronizing an advertiser every now and then (if they have something you’re looking for anyway). That will help keep your favorites sites up and running (and hopefully keep their content free for the taking).