All posts tagged: ads

Filtr is a new privacy tool that blocks ads in almost every iPhone and Mac app

Filtr is a new privacy tool that blocks ads in almost every iPhone and Mac app

Published by skeptic

Using an ad blocker is good for your security, privacy, and even the FBI recommends them to defend from online harms. But as much as ad blockers are great for cleaning up your browsing experience, these tools often do little to prevent the pervasive tracking from ads within apps. Now, thanks to a new feature in iOS 26 and macOS 26, one developer has built the first device-level ad blocker that works across all of Apple’s main products — iPhones, iPads, and Macs — and isn’t just limited to the browser. Filtr is a new tool created and maintained by Kaylee Serena Calderolla, the developer behind the popular Safari browser ad blocker Wipr. Wipr prevents ads from ever appearing in Safari, meaning that the ads won’t load, nor will their tracking code that advertisers use to follow you around the web and snoop on which websites you visit. The result is a cleaner browsing experience, free from advertisers watching over your online activity. Filtr is an additional paid-for feature bundled into Wipr that goes one …

Thai watchdog to sue Meta over Facebook scam ads targeting users

Thai watchdog to sue Meta over Facebook scam ads targeting users

Published by Sam Flores

BANGKOK: Thailand’s consumer watchdog said it will sue Meta’s Facebook for allegedly allowing scammers to use the platform to defraud users through adverts and for failing to protect consumers, the Consumer Council said on Thursday (Jun 4). Meta did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.  In previous cases, the company has said it invests in measures to detect and remove scam content and works with regulators and law enforcement to combat misuse of its platforms.  The planned lawsuit comes amid broader efforts by governments worldwide to tighten oversight of social media platforms and curb the use of digital services for fraud and other cross-border crimes. Between 2024 and 2026, the council recorded 3,793 complaints linked to Facebook, including cases where users did not receive purchased goods, alleged fake investment schemes, impersonation using victims’ names and photos and pages created to mislead buyers. The watchdog says it has tried for more than a year to contact Meta, both the parent company and in Thailand, asking Facebook to block fraudulent ads. There are about …

‘Creepy’ Listening Tool for Targeted Ads Didn’t Actually Work, FTC Says

‘Creepy’ Listening Tool for Targeted Ads Didn’t Actually Work, FTC Says

Published by skeptic

The Federal Trade Commission announced on Thursday that Cox Media Group and two other marketing companies, MindSift LLC and 1010 Digital Works, have agreed to collectively pay nearly $1 million to settle allegations that they deceived their customers—other businesses—by claiming that they could help target ads based on audio recordings collected from consumers’ smart devices via a marketing service called Active Listening. In a statement to WIRED, a spokesperson for CMG says, “We are pleased to have this matter resolved. Our local marketing team relied on marketing materials provided to us by a third-party vendor about their product. We withdrew the materials expeditiously and stopped further use of the product.” MindSift and 1010 Digital Works did not immediately respond to a request for comment. (Disclosure: The author of this article previously worked for the FTC.) Over the years, conspiracy theories about companies listening to people through their phones in order to serve them ads have been repeatedly debunked. The marketing about Active Listening, which was first reported by 404 Media, stoked those fears. According to …

Senators advance bipartisan bill restricting targeted sports betting ads toward minors

Senators advance bipartisan bill restricting targeted sports betting ads toward minors

Published by skeptic

Sens. Katie Britt and Richard Blumenthal rolled out bipartisan legislation Monday (May 18) aimed at stopping online platforms from directing sports betting advertisements toward minors. The proposal, called the Gaming Advertisement to Minors Enforcement Act, or GAME Act, would apply to social media companies and digital advertising networks that promote sportsbooks and prediction markets. Congress has been completely feckless when it comes to protecting our children online. It’s past time we take action. I’m introducing legislation with @SenBlumenthal to ban digital gambling ads targeting minors. Proud to be a leader in this fight to take on companies who… https://t.co/YLpLH30MtS — Senator Katie Boyd Britt (@SenKatieBritt) May 18, 2026 Lawmakers from both parties have been pushing for tighter federal oversight of the online gambling industry. Recent congressional efforts have included renewed attention on the SAFE Bet Act, a separate proposal that would add consumer protections, advertising restrictions, and affordability checks for sports bettors. The legislation would apply to major digital platforms with more than 100 million monthly users, including social media companies, search engines, and online …

Digital voter suppression ads tied to lower election turnout among specific demographic groups

Digital voter suppression ads tied to lower election turnout among specific demographic groups

Published by José Betancourt

Digital advertisements designed to discourage voting were heavily aimed at specific demographic groups during the 2016 United States presidential election. People who saw these undisclosed political advertisements were less likely to cast a ballot compared to those who did not. The research, published in PNAS, presents real-world data connecting personalized social media messaging to offline voting behavior. Political campaigns have a history of trying to demobilize selected segments of the population. This practice is known as voter suppression. It involves targeted strategies intended to discourage or prevent opposing demographic groups from casting ballots. Historically, voter suppression manifested through physical intimidation or strict localized regulations. In previous eras, tactics included regulatory devices such as poll taxes, stringent identification laws, and deliberately confusing information about polling locations. Today, these targeted efforts have increasingly shifted to the digital sphere. Modern platforms operate on customized feed algorithms that allow messages to reach specific individuals. Advertisers use microtargeting to reach these specific audiences online. They rely on vast amounts of data regarding user interests, geographic locations, and demographic backgrounds. Social …

These Instagram Ads Sure Seem to Be Selling Cocaine Accessories

These Instagram Ads Sure Seem to Be Selling Cocaine Accessories

Published by skeptic

Big money and powerful interests have entirely rebranded drugs like cannabis, mushrooms, and ketamine in the 21st century. Today, millions of Americans can buy their pot legally in places that resemble Apple Stores or take powerful psychoactive substances in plush therapeutic settings. Cocaine, however, has yet to see the kind of tech-fueled makeover that changed the public perception of those drugs—but these luxury products in my Instagram feed may just give it a glow-up. Though you might not instantly see them as drug paraphernalia, on closer inspection, many of these products are offering to serve a need that no real person has ever had. Consider, for example, this video demonstrating use of a SLYD pouch, a small leather pocket with a magnetic clasp. The ad shows a person loading a small quantity of a powdered substance into the $39 pouch, and a caption exhorts the viewer: “Stop using that sketchy bag for your electrolytes.” The visual comparison with a resealable plastic bag containing whitish electrolyte power should make it clear what is seemingly being suggested …

Ads Aren’t in the Apple Maps App Yet, But They’re Coming Soon

Ads Aren’t in the Apple Maps App Yet, But They’re Coming Soon

Published by skeptic

Apple released iOS 26.5 yesterday with a new Suggested Places feature in the Apple Maps app, which is a precursor to the ads that Apple plans to start showing later this year. There was some confusion over whether ads are live, but as of now, the ‌Apple Maps‌ app still doesn’t have ads. Apple did start laying the groundwork for ads in iOS 26.5 and tested a splash screen, but no ads appeared during the beta testing period or after launch. When Apple announced plans to bring ads to the Maps app in March, it said that ads will be implemented in the United States and Canada “this summer.” Astronomical summer in the Northern Hemisphere starts on June 21 and ends on September 22. Meteorologically, summer begins on June 1 and lasts through August, so depending on Apple’s definition of summer, we’ll get ads in Maps sometime between June 1 and September 22. Ads will be displayed in ‌Apple Maps‌ search results and in the new Suggested Places section added in iOS 26.5. Suggested Places …

OpenAI Enables Marketing Cookies by Default for Free ChatGPT Users

OpenAI Enables Marketing Cookies by Default for Free ChatGPT Users

Published by skeptic

OpenAI is ready to target free users of its services with advertisements around the web, based on what it knows about them. On Thursday, OpenAI sent an email to users laying out major changes to the AI company’s privacy policy in the US. “We’ll now use cookies to promote OpenAI products and services on other websites,” reads the email sent on April 30. “This does not impact your conversations in ChatGPT. Your conversations with ChatGPT are private and are not shared with marketing partners.” Cookies store information in users’ browsers as they explore the web. Chats with the bot aren’t shared with third parties. Even so, details OpenAI collects as users interact with its services may soon be used to market those same services, like ChatGPT, outside the platform. This appears to be targeted at converting free users (WIRED found that marketing settings were “on” by default) and seeing how effective its ads are at conversions. The move comes as OpenAI looks to expand its own advertising network inside ChatGPT. The company started rolling out …

The Person Behind Those Viral Polycule Ads Says It’s Just a Joke

The Person Behind Those Viral Polycule Ads Says It’s Just a Joke

Published by skeptic

The flyer on a pole in San Francisco was very straightforward, if a little bewildering. It read, “Seeking New Polycule Member: We recently had a defector in our polycule and are seeking a new member.” A link at the bottom invited anyone interested to apply to join a polycule—a group of cohabitating adults all in a consensual romantic relationship. The ad seemed almost normal at first, inviting applicants to join a “fun-loving, diverse, ragtag bunch of lover people.” The more you read, the weirder it gets. The link went to an application page hosted on Notion, where responders could share information about themselves, like their hobbies, their waistline (in inches), and whether they were interested in being a part of a “breeding pool.” Courtesy of Danielle Egan “Please do not think of this as an application!” the website read. “We prefer to think of it more like the X-Factor, but for finding another soulmate.” This went viral, of course, spreading across X and Reddit. Some people saw it as a joke. Many were seemingly furious …

Martin Lewis scam ads ‘worse than ever’

Martin Lewis scam ads ‘worse than ever’

Published by Sam Flores

Martin Lewis at the BAFTA Television Special Award Media Breakfast on Wednesday 29 April 2026 in London. Picture: BAFTA/Scott Garfitt Financial journalist Martin Lewis CBE has said social media scam ads that use his name and face to dupe unsuspecting consumers have become “worse than ever”. Lewis sued Facebook for defamation in 2018 over ads appearing on the platform which stole his image and settled the case after Meta agreed to donate £3m to charity and create a new reporting button. But such ads continue to proliferate years later, conning people out of money by wrongly making them believe Lewis has backed questionable financial products. Lewis was speaking at a press conference on Wednesday as it was announced he had been awarded the BAFTA Television Special Award in recognition of his “extraordinary and lasting impact on British consumers and public life”. Lewis founded the Money Saving Expert consumer finance website, has an ITV show called The Martin Lewis Money Show Live, and is a presenter and expert on Good Morning Britain. In response to a …