Are pop-up ads allowed on Google?
Google does not allow pop-up ads of any kind on our site. We find them annoying. So why do they occasionally appear when you search on Google? Here are a few possible explanations:
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You may have encountered a squatter with an address similar to Google's. Occasionally, individuals will register domain names that are one letter off from a well-known URL in hopes of attracting those who make mistakes in their typing. Please be sure to enter www.google.com into your browser and the pop-ups may go away. Or, if you are running Windows, just add the free Google Toolbar to your browser by visiting http://toolbar.google.com/.
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Another possibility is that you visited a site while surfing, and that site launched pop-up windows in the background. These ads are known in the advertising industry as "pop-unders." Other web pages trigger pop-ups when a user leaves that site. When you came to Google, the windows may have become visible. Again, we do not condone this practice and do not allow it on Google.
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If you have installed some free programs, especially music-sharing programs such as BearShare or AudioGalaxy, you may have installed other programs as well. These tiny "time bombs" can show pop-ups at random intervals or based on anything you type on a web page. A brief description of these programs can be found in these articles: http://news.com.com/2100-1023-257592.html and http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,49960,00.html.
If you are experiencing pop-ups generated by one of these malicious programs, you may want to remove the pop-up program from your computer. One program that attempts to detect and to uninstall pop-up programs is available at http://download.cnet.com/downloads/0-10106-108-63806.html. We have no relationship with the individuals who created this software and cannot vouch for it ourselves.
If you feel you were deceived when you installed a program that creates pop-ups, you may want to take action. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) handles complaints about deceptive or unfair business practices. To file a complaint, visit: http://www.ftc.gov/ and click on "File a Complaint Online", call 1-877-FTC-HELP, or write to:
Federal Trade Commission
CRC-240
Washington, D.C. 20580If your complaint is against a company in another country, please file it at http://www.econsumer.gov/.
We wish you luck in your quest to quell pop-ups. If you'd like more information on the advertising we do accept on Google, you'll find it by visiting this page: http://www.google.com/ads/. If you have other questions, you may find the answers on our frequently asked questions page.
If you follow all these suggestions and still have a "pop-up problem" on Google, feel free to write to us. It will help us if you can right-click on the pop-up window and select "Properties" from the drop down menu. If you write us, include the url address that you see, so we can investigate the source of the pop-ups.
