Photobucket are not cleaning up their act
Photobucket has been mentioned several times on this blog because of malvertizements appearing on the site. The most recent outbreak is proving to be problematic, to say the least.
Photobucket have been advised several times that there are malvertizements appearing on the web site. Photobucket have been given sufficient information to enable them to quickly identify and remove the malvertizements. Email acknowledgements have been received from Photobucket advising that the malvertizement reports would be forwarded to the “advertising team”.
The malvertizements have also been reported to the advertising networks being used to host and distribute the malvertizements.
Why, then, are the malvertizements cited here still appearing on the Photobucket web site?
This is the Lady Speedstick malvertizement appearing on photobucket.com:
atlas-ads.com/99000/728×90.swf
Screenshot in situ:
http://www.bluetack.co.uk/Kimberly/Logs/swf79.jpg
This is the Tokyo Drift malvertizement appearing on photobucket.com:
photobkt-images.adbureau.net/photobkt/cinema_photobucket_728x90.swf
Screenshot in situ:
http://www.bluetack.co.uk/Kimberly/Logs/swf80.jpg
Kimberley wrote about the malvertizements at photobucket several days ago, and reported the problem to photobucket on 8 May:
http://www.bluetack.co.uk/forums/index.php?s=05b1fcebf3d68bb448979919ca14aa83&showtopic=18064&st=60&p=87195&#entry87195
Kimberley reports on photobucket.com again on 10 May…
http://www.bluetack.co.uk/forums/index.php?s=&showtopic=18064&view=findpost&p=87219
And again here, just under 10 hours ago:
http://www.bluetack.co.uk/forums/index.php?s=&showtopic=18064&view=findpost&p=87235
rlslog.net were able to get rid of the malvertizements reported to them. mininova.org were able to get rid of the malvertizements that were reported to them. Why is it so hard for photobucket.com to clean up *their* act???
I have no choice but to recommend that nobody should visit photobucket.com unless they have software in place that will prevent any advertisements on that site from being displayed on their computer. This advice stands unless and until the malvertizements are removed AND photobucket.com can reassure us that:
Photobucket have improved their investigative processes when checking advertisements offered to them to minimise the possibility of this happening again; and
Photobucket have put in place new procedures to ensure that reports of malvertizements are identified and acted upon immediately.
I have always said that I do not support such wholesale blocking of advertisements, because I have always held to the view that every person deserves to earn an income but in this case, because the malvertizements are still appearing despite our best efforts and despite several days having passed, I must recommend that visitors to the site protect themselves, even if it means that photobucket loses income, and all advertisers (legitimate and fraudulent alike) receive zero value from photobucket.com
“Photobucket are not cleaning up their act”