This is a measure we’ve been putting off for some time but, unfortunately, ad blockers continue to starve us of revenue.
As of now, when anyone visits DCT with an ad blocker enabled, a window will pop up with a request to whitelist DCT in their ad blocker. If you’re unsure of how to do that, please read the following article from John Durso which explains how to whitelist a website in popular ad blockers: How To Whitelist A Website In An Ad Blocker
At the moment, you can simply close out the popup window and continue on to the site. However, if this passive method does not improve the situation, we’ll be forced to implement a more stringent method whereby access to content will be disabled until DCT is whitelisted. Something we are very reluctant to do.
We have a great group of supporters out there and to everyone who has already whitelisted DCT in their ad blockers, we sincerely thank you. If you haven’t done so as yet, please whitelist DCT in your ad blocker now. Once you’ve whitelisted DCT you’ll never see that popup window/message again.
As I said, this is not something we’ve wanted to implement but have been forced to do. In my opinion, we have the best team on the planet and when ad blockers prevent ads from displaying there is absolutely zero return for all their hard work and effort.
Thank you all for your continued support.
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I had to disable Vivaldi’s built-in Ad and Tracker-blocking, Malwarebytes Browser Guard Ads\Trackers and Privacy Badger but because you guys have great giveaways, I’m fine with it 🙂
Good on you Chris. Thanks, it is very much appreciated.
Remember this, or is it different now? Just asking. Confused. Is it or is it not?
In the immortal words of Queen… another one bites the dust. By my reckoning, FileHippo’s capitulation means that, among the leading download sites anyway, MajorGeeks and Softpedia may be the last remaining bastions of totally adware-free downloading.
Hey Brian,
If you mean have we previously implemented a popup message requesting readers to whitelist DCT in ad blockers… no, this the the very first time we have taken this step.
This has nothing to do with downloading software with adware bundled. It is about allowing ads to display on a website.
I already had Adblock set to be paused on the DCT website but still got the message (using fully patched Edge on Windows 11). I’ve subsequently tried turning off some items in Edge Settings / adding DCT to exceptions, etc., and also suspending BitDefender Anti Tracking but still getting the message. I’m wondering if there are Windows-wide settings that could be affecting this as, after making similar changes on Firefox, I still get the pop-up message there?.
Hey John,
We’ve received several similar comments to yours. I have tested both Edge and Firefox at default settings, and with zero active extensions, and the popup is not displaying for me. As far as I am aware, there is no setting in Windows that could cause this issue.
When you visit the site are the ads displaying for you or not?
There is an active discussion about this here: https://davescomputertips.com/how-to-whitelist-a-website-in-an-ad-blocker/#comment-137165
Suggest you check out the comments there as we investigate further.
It’s one thing to disable Add blocking, which I have done for your site, but I do not accept tracking cookies. If your Add providers are doing this, that’s a no no. It’s a shame because I enjoy your site and get your weekly news letter, but sorry, no trackers. And, I will not run a pure vanilla browser with no extensions.
Hey Peter,
The vast majority of ads include some sort of tracking, that’s why anti-tracking extensions also block ads.
I’m very sorry you feel that way but it’s certainly your prerogative, your choice, but consider this: would you work for around 30 hours per week every week for free, no return? That’s the equivalent of what happens to us when ads are not being displayed.
Hi Jim,
I get it, I really do. But these Ad companies have ruined the internet. I don’t mind dealing with Ads for certain websites, but I will not allow them to also track my internet browsing if I can help it. It’s one thing insert some visible but non-obtrusive ads on a web page but I refuse to be targeted by having my data mined. They have no right to suck data off my computers.
Until website operators such as yourselves start standing up to these Ad companies and require that they unlink the process of inserting an Ad with installing tracking cookies, things are only going to get worse as more and more people come to recognize the evils of tracking. Again, I’m fine with companies keeping track of what I am doing on their website, but once I leave that site, it should be illegal for them so see anything else.
And I get it from your point of view too Peter, no problem. All our ads are displayed as part of the Google AdSense program. I only wish we could stand up to Google but… need I say anything more. We’ve tried, unsuccessfully, to secure a secondary source of income. It’s tough but it is what it is.
Cheers mate… Jim
I use Adblock Latitude (a version of Adblock Plus for MyPal and Pale Moon). I also have a toggle button for turning Javascript on or off. If a site forbids me to look at the content (which is usually an article that I am trying to read) because of my adblocker then I will turn Javascript off and refresh the page. This usually does the trick. If it doesn’t work then I don’t read the article and go on with my life.
I use Brave as my web browser. I clicked on your link (https://davescomputertips.com/how-to-whitelist-a-website-in-an-ad-blocker/#comment-137165) and followed the instructions there for disabling Brave’s built-in ad-blocker. I also found that I had AdGuard extension installed, apparently imported from another browser, so I uninstalled that. I then closed and re-opened Brave — but I still get your pop-up warnings, in spite of my preceding efforts! What now?
Hey Elliott,
We’ve received several similar comments to yours and have investigated. The result being that there must be something at the user end still blocking ads. It might be a security or privacy software, it could be a setting in the router, using a privacy oriented DNS server, or using a VPN with an ad blocker included.
I’m sorry we can’t be of more help.
With no further changes on my end since my initial post yesterday, today I received no popups on your website. Could the difference have been something to do with cookies? Anyway, I guess that I’m okay for now. Thanks for considering my input.
Well, I guess I spoke too soon. I have now started to receive more popups on your website. I am back to square one, so to speak. FYI, I also turned off my VPN.
Hey Elliott,
Thanks for trying mate, appreciate the effort.
Not sure where we go from here though. Third-party antivirus solutions will often include an ad blocker component, what AV are you running?
Would you mind if I sent you an email? That way you can reply to the email and include a list of all your installed software. That could provide me with a clue.
Cheers… Jim
I also use Brave Browser. I’ve always had Shields down for your website with no other ad blocker extensions. I also get the new pop-up. I’m using Quad9 dns server. If that’s what’s causing it, I guess I’m out. I’m not changing my dns server for one website. Also, I’ve been a subscriber to your news letter for over a year and I find it annoying that every time I click on a link, half-way thru the article I get the pop-up asking me to subscribe. I truly hope these issues can be rectified, because I really enjoy the content you provide.
Hey TLS,
I’m not sure if the Quad9 DNS server blocks ads but it’s entirely possible.
We’ve now changed the popup’s behavior so it only displays once per session.
I appreciate where you are coming from but we cannot continue on working for nothing. We have overheads/expenses that need to be paid monthly, same as everybody else. As I’ve said, it’s not a measure that we wanted to implement but rather one that has been forced upon us due to the proliferation of ad blockers.
Hey Jim,
Quad9 DNS does NOT block ads.
Thanks John, appreciated.
@TLS – That means you must have some other ad-blocking mechanism active. It could be a third-party security or privacy software, a setting in your router, or if you’re using a VPN which includes an ad-blocking feature.
Hello, TLS. The first time the subscription pop-up appears, it stores a cookie in your browser, allowing us to determine if the subscription pop-up has been shown to the user. If you block or delete the cookie, it’s as if you are a first-time visitor.