Jeff - why are there ads for guns, uzi's and other weapons on DCUM?

[Anonymous]

I just noticed that there is an ad for Proxibid, an online auction site, on the right side of the screen. It is promoting the sale of all sorts of weapons, helmets and other battle gear. It just doesn't seem appropriate for this ad to be on a parent site. I'm hoping that others agree with me.

[jsteele]

I have moved your message to the appropriate forum.

The vast majority of ads on this site, including the ad you are describing, are provided by Google Adsense. I do not select the ads. Some advertisers target DCUM. On other cases, Google displays ads based on it's own factors which include the context of the page you are viewing and your web browsing and/or searching history about which Google knows. As a result, users don't necessarily see the same ads. I very rarely see any gun-related advertisements here.

Beyond that, I don't want to be in the business of prohibiting ads. If I prohibit some ads, it implies that I agree with all other ads. In other words, the default perception becomes that I approve of all ads on the site even if I don't know about them. I prefer a situation in which advertising decisions are totally separate from my own opinions. Therefore, I don't get into a situation in which I block gun ads and then face demands from gun enthusiasts to block ads from gun control organizations.

[Anonymous]

jsteele wrote:I have moved your message to the appropriate forum.

The vast majority of ads on this site, including the ad you are describing, are provided by Google Adsense. I do not select the ads. Some advertisers target DCUM. On other cases, Google displays ads based on it's own factors which include the context of the page you are viewing and your web browsing and/or searching history about which Google knows. As a result, users don't necessarily see the same ads. I very rarely see any gun-related advertisements here.

Beyond that, I don't want to be in the business of prohibiting ads. If I prohibit some ads, it implies that I agree with all other ads. In other words, the default perception becomes that I approve of all ads on the site even if I don't know about them. I prefer a situation in which advertising decisions are totally separate from my own opinions. Therefore, I don't get into a situation in which I block gun ads and then face demands from gun enthusiasts to block ads from gun control organizations.

Thanks for info, Jeff. This was the first time I'd seen this ad. It was up for a few minutes then it disappeared.

[Anonymous]

FWIW, I've never seen any ads on my computer like the one you described.

[Anonymous]

OP must be surfing for weapons. The ads have a lot to do with your browsing history. Big Brother is everywhere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP must be surfing for weapons. The ads have a lot to do with your browsing history. Big Brother is everywhere.

I've seen this ad and reported it to Jeff as well. I've never "surfed for weapons."