What are popups, anyway? Popups are advertisements that “pop up" in a separate window while you’re surfing the web. These ads can pop up on top of what you’re looking at, or can “pop under” the page and sit on your task bar waiting for you to click. They nearly always contain advertising, and can be specifically directed at you, the user, based on how and where you visit websites. Just like commercials help pay for free TV, these ads help pay for the websites you’re visiting or the software you’re using.
How do they get there? When you visit some websites, popups are simply designed to appear as you open a page or click on a link. To close a popup, you can often click on the “X” in the upper right corner of the window. Others (the most annoying) can’t be closed. You must wait until the advertisement is done playing before it goes away.
Another method of delivering popups to your computer is through software called “adware” or “spyware.” This software is installed directly on your computer. Adware and spyware are programs designed to deliver advertisements to you or to collect personal information from your computer and send it back to the person who designed it. While adware is simply annoying, spyware can be dangerous, revealing private information such as passwords, social security numbers, credit card numbers, and more.
But I didn’t install any adware or spyware programs! Actually you may have done it without realizing it, or the program may have “installed itself” without your knowledge. These invasive programs are often bundled with “free” software that you download from the internet like Kazaa. The advertisements you are forced to endure are how the software developer makes money, and are also what allows you to get it for free.
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Some spyware downloads even more spyware. Once they are on your computer, adware or spyware programs can clear the way for more of these types of programs to be installed on your computer. Several of the worst offenders automatically download more software, clogging up your computer, slowing it down, and taking your Internet connection speeds down to a fraction of your regular connection.
Search bars and browser hijackers are part of the problem, too. Have you ever noticed a search bar suddenly appearing in your browser? Has your home page suddenly changed to something you don’t want? This is a form of spyware that encourages or forces you to use a certain search page and can actually change your homepage to something you don’t want. They can disable the search bars you already have (like Google or Yahoo) and can be really hard to remove, and are often very offensive in nature, displaying content you don’t want your kids to see. They can also place bookmarks in your favorites list to sites you’ve never visited and never want to visit!
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