Nick Danger

I keep seeing advertisements for a DVD of Song of the South. It's been happening for a week or two. I'm pretty sure that it's a pirated version of the movie. The ad links to www.songofthesouth.org, which doesn't look like a Disney website. This was the address:

https://www.songofthesouth.org/?gcli...SAAEgKHE_D_BwE

I haven't been able to get a screenshot of the ad.

IBJoel

Hi Nick,

I'll definitely need the screenshot of the ad. Some ads are purchased directly by companies, but some are simply filled in by Google, based on browsing history (this is not to imply you've been Googling for an illegal movie, just that interest in say, obscure films may have triggered this ad).

Josh-da-man

IBJoel

Yeah, that's looking like a Google Ad. I'll talk to our ad team to see if we can get it removed from circulation.

EDIT: If you see an ad like this, click that blue X in the top right and report it.

Alan Smithee

Of course Disney COULD just put it out themselves- it seems like bootleggers advertising like that don't even get busted.

TomOpus

b2net

At least the pop-up ads for me have dropped to zero for the most part.

But there was this today.

Alan Smithee

Just saw an ad for DVD ripping software also, which we're still not supposed to talk about here.

printerati

Yeah, I got both the "DVDFab One-Stop DVD Solutions" and "Best DVD Ripper Software" ads just now in this subforum.

IBJoel

OK, so this is how our advertising works: We directly fulfill some ads. More often, we just use Google Ads and Google will fill in the ads based on their algorithms, which include your search history (and what other people with similar search history have clicked on).

So, when you guys mention DVD Ripping software (for instance) and visit pages mentioning it, you will have a higher likelihood of encountering ads for it. That's on Google. You can report any and all ads you find objectionable by clicking on the blue X in the upper right corner of each ad. If there's something like a redirect that takes you off of DVDTalk.com or an add messes up page formatting, that's where we come in.

b2net

Really not sure why I would get the ad I shared.

cultshock

Yeah, I've been seeing the DVD ripper ad all morning. And no, I don't visit pages mentioning it or ever even mention it here (other than right now), I don't rip DVDs, so it isn't that. I've never seen a single ad here even remotely related to my Google searches, so I don't think that's the right answer.

milo bloom

Just saw the ripper ad. Not gonna report it cause I’m not a snitch.

Kurt D

Ditto to some of the above, I have never mentioned rippers, nor gone to any sites, but have also seen these adverts. DVD Talk will take adverts that are not allowed, but it is of course the fault of the advertisers, not DVD Talk.

I am def planning to start bootlegging illegal DVDs with illegal software, though, if it's cool with y'all.

Decker

I see the ad. Copied it here. Couldn't report it because there's no "X" to press. Needless to say, it's an inappropriate ad for this forum.

Trevor

My disc just arrived. Thanks OP!

kefrank

I recognize that ad-supported sites like DVD Talk are in a tough position here, because you're beholden to the broader problems of "big data"-driven, targeted advertising. That said, it does seem odd that there isn't a proactive way for you to be able to better limit the types of ads that are shown in alignment with standards you've set for the site. Are there alternatives to Google that provide you better controls? Has that even been investigated? Given how many issues this site has had with malware-infected ads and ads that violate site standards, it seems like Google might not be the best ad provider (unless of course, revenue matters more than site standards).

Additionally, users should not be responsible for policing the ads the ads that show up, in my opinion. Whether valid or not, clicking on buttons on the ad seems like just another way for the ad network to gather data about users (ie, this person thinks this ad is offensive). I'd rather not be expected to possibly have to interact with the ad network at all. (Even if that reporting click only ostensibly gets reported to DVD Talk, it certainly has the appearance of being another data point gathered by Google).

IBJoel

Decker, thanks for that screenshot. Kefrank, while that would be ideal, we simply don't have the resources to make that happen in regard to AdSense. It's a difficult process with thousands of different ads/companies.

I've checked with our sales team and DVD Fab was indeed something our sales team set-up, without talking to myself. A couple things about what this means and does not:

This ad has to run its course. We can't cancel it, due to contractual obligations.
Other such software ads are going to be AdSense until I can see a screenshot otherwise.

It doesn't mean that discussing such software is now OK in the forums.

If you feel strongly about this ad, please write in here: https://forum.dvdtalk.com/sendmessage.php
That form generates emails that I can then send to sales to show them that they really need to stop doing this.

IBJoel

cultshock and Kurt, I never said you did (although likely by visiting and engaging with this page, Google will consider it that "you did"). But other people who are into physical media likely have. Let's say "DVDTalker" has never looked for torrents, ripping software, or anything like that. Just goes to DVD Talk, Amazon, eBay, maybe bluray.com. Then John Q. DVDlover does all of that, but ALSO torrents, copies, et cetera. DVDTalker will likely get ads at some point for stuff like that, because the other person's habits have significant crossover with DVDTalker.

cultshock

Fair enough, and yeah, after visiting this page multiple times, they certainly think I'm interested now. I've seen at least three different huge banner ads for DVD ripping software today, one says DVD Fab, and the others don't identify as such, so I'm not sure if they are from the same company or not. I've just never been bombarded by the same huge ads constantly all day when visiting this site, it's really eyebrow raising to me.

For what it's worth, I think most here want to alert you guys about these ads because we like visiting this site and don't want to see you run into possible legal trouble that might make this place go away (especially Disney, as they really know how to bring the hammer down, don't mess with them!). We're not just bitching for no reason, and I'm not an intellectual property owner, so I don't have a dog in the race.

TheBang

Has your wife been using your computer?

Meathead

You would have thought the uproar last year over the DVDTalk sponsored ripping software would have done the trick... guess not. Point the sales team to that thread and the current ones.

Shannon Nutt

The other thread was locked. I really don't care all THAT much, but if I were still a DVD Talk reviewer I sure would, as if a studio sees that, the screeners (already thin, from what I've heard) are going to stop.

IBJoel

And I appreciate it and the fact that the forum rules say one thing and then appearances say another. Since I'm also the editor-in-chief of content/reviews, I do have quite a bit of investment in this site, compared to others in the department. Thus, I completely understand everyone wanting to bring this up.

IBJoel

I locked it simply so that all this conversation could be take place in a single thread.