Technology

Throw in a dash of track-me-not (https://www.trackmenot.io/) and maybe they'll start ignoring your search queries too! Worst case my actual searches are so buried in the bs deciding what to market would be easier from my screen-name.

That, I guess, it’s the whole point. Stopping being tracked 🙂

if enough people start doing it might be effective

because it's a modified uBlock Origin, so it's like running two ad blocking plugins at once, which isn't recommended. and if uBO blocks an ad first, AdNauseam won't be able to detect it and click on it.

anyway, I remember reading a long time ago how that approach isn't going to harm ad companies anyway, because [technical reasons that I don't remember at all].

It's a bit redundant to run both at the same time, considering they both practically do the same thing and one is built off of the other.

So the way I understand this to work, it's 100% safe from the type of attack you're describing.

You are clicking the link (asking the advertiser for the data) but then never actually fetching it.

So you can never get the malicious payload to be infected.

if thats true, brb setting up a website and a bot farm

This transfers money from the advertiser to the advertising agency, without creating a sale for the advertiser. This devalues the services of the agency.

1. not in this way
2. not enough to matter

the way it works is sending an HTTP request that registers as a "click" to the advertiser (thus costing them money), but then doesn't actually let the browser download any content and fetch the webpage, basically pi-holes the destination site and any attached tracking cookies. Combined with the fact that it does this to every ad, it would basically poison any click tracking.

edit: pedants

and before I get any more of you, this is just what I remember reading about adnauseam, do not take it as gospel, go look at AdNauseam's FAQ.

Yeah, I can't find an answer whether the "click" is behind some obfuscation, or if the "click every ad" is the obfuscation step itself by attempting to poison the data. The latter may work but yes, may actually increase tracking. Wish that answer wasn't so hard to find on their site.

Also wouldn't this be directing a ton of money to google? (or I guess any other ad provider)