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Internet pop-up ads and cookie tracking

this list was last updated
Sun Apr 21, 2002

Opt-out of popups:
--advertising.com
--X10.com
--fastclick.com
--avenue a
--bluestreak.com
--comet cursors
(Internet Explorer only)

Opt-out of tracking:
--yahoo.com
--doubleclick
    (may not disable popups)
--pointroll.com
--flycast.com
    (appears to be down)
--L90
    (checkmark means success)
--CoreMetrics

Just when I was beginning to get used to annoying banner ads on websites, now some websites are beginning to deliver pop-up ads that seriously get in the way of my web surfing. You may have noticed a popup ad during a visit to a popular website (such as Yahoo). A new ad-filled browser window may appear on top of your requested web page, requiring you to either click on the advertisment or close the new window.

I think that some people complained that popup ads are harassing people into clicking on them, which triggered new Internet advertising guidelines. Some ad delivery companies that are responsible for delivering those annoying pop-up advertisments now provide the ability to turn off pop-up ads, such as X10.

You will see some opt-out links on the right of this page, let me explain what they are. Some sites allow end-users to request a stoppage of all popup advertising that is served from their servers, while other sites only support an opt-out of user tracking information. Users can be tracked by a cookie place on their browser from the ad servers. To "opt-out" of cookie tracking means that users' browsers that hit the ad servers will remain anonymous, and does not necessarilly mean a difference in the type or quanitity of the ads delivered to the browser. You must have cookies enabled within your web browser in order for opt-out links to work. Ironically, each of the links on the right will open up in a new browser window. If you want to opt-out of these ad networks, please click on the links and don't drag a link onto another browser window or the stealth click feature may not function properly.

If you find a broken link or if you find another ad company and would like to add it to our list here, please send me email.

If you find a method of requesting a stoppage a popup ad or cookie tracking from the ad company, send it to us and we'll add it to this list. These will give a cookie to the web browser that you are using right now, and will not prevent any popup ads on other web browsers and other computers that you may use in addition to this one.

Please do not send us links to ad elimination software.

If you have questions or problems with doing an opt-out from an advertising company, please check out this FAQ.

Update on opting-out: Some ad companies, such as DoubleClick, have no control over how a website delivers their ads. That's not to say that opting out (using the links on the right) will not help stop popup ads, but it does not guarantee a stoppage. Some ad companies can honor a request to stop popup ads (such as X10) while others can not, as such DoubleClick does not have the ability to prevent the pop-up code within a web advertisement. Here is some information from DoubleClick Inc. about this. Some people have suggested using add-on programs that prevent popup windows from appearing, but I feel that they hinder browsing on some useful websites. For now, if there is a website that you frequent that has lots of popup advertising, t he best thing to do is send a complaint to the website and tell them that you will notbe back until the harassment of popups go away.

Your status on some of the popular ad companies:

Avenue A, Inc.

DoubleClick

L90

24/7 Media

Cited references for the information on this page are:
Technoerotica's Opt Out of Pop-up Ads