Fact: YoutubeAdBlock does not function as promised
If you ever came across a site suggesting help for users who wish to “forget ads on Youtube,” be careful. Chances are, this site recommends installing YoutubeAdBlock virus, which is actually a complete ad machine rather than a blocker. After installing it, you will soon want to block Youtube AdBlock itself. This infamous piece of software has been developed by SISTEMA LTD. When it gets into the system, it adds Video Ads Blocker extension, which can completely mess up your Google Chrome browser. At the moment, this extension is compatible with this particular Internet browser only. We have investigated this program’s Licence agreement, and we have found some shocking statements. Take a look at these lines:
THE EXTENSION MAY COLLECT OR STORE INFORMATION FOR SISTEMA LTD (“LICENSOR”, “WE” OR “US”) ABOUT THE WEB PAGES YOU VISIT AND YOUR ACTIVITY ON THOSE PAGES, SUCH AS IMPRESSIONS AND CLICKS. IN SOME CASES, INFORMATION COLLECTED BY THE EXTENSION MAY BE PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE, AND INFORMATION (INCLUDING INFORMATION FROM OR ABOUT PAGES OF SOCIAL MEDIA WEBSITES YOU VISIT) MAY BE USED OR SHARED WITH THIRD PARTIES FOR PURPOSES OF DISPLAYING TARGETED ADVERTISEMENTS TO YOU.
As you can see, this questionable browser add-on can collect information about you. As we have already mentioned, YoutubeAdBlock is an adware program, and it displays advertisements. However, that does not mean that YoutubeAdBlock seeks to show useful ads for you. It might show catchy-looking ads, labeled as “YoutubeAdBlock ads,” “Youtube AdBlock deals,” or “Ads by Youtube AdBlock.” These statements in the software’s Privacy Policy document proves that:
From time to time, we may use an outside advertising provider to display ads on our Site. […] By its very nature, our Site contains links to third-party Web sites. Please be aware that we cannot control and are not responsible for the information collection practices of third-party Web sites.
Shortly said, this program might block some ads for you, but it displays its own ads for you. Keep in mind that some of Youtube AdBlock’s affiliate websites might be insecure, and that is why we do not recommend to click on these ads. Besides, these ads can show up not only as banners or in-text links on the websites that you visit, but they might also randomly pop-up on your screen, so be careful not to click on them accidentally. Despite these interruptions, Youtube AdBlock adware also slows down your computer speed. In conclusion, there are no negotiable advantages of this program, and that is why we suggest removing it. You can do that with an anti-spyware program like FortectIntego or any other reliable one.
Distribution methods
You can download this extension from its official page, which might be sent to you by another adware program, but if you are sure that it’s not how it slithered in your computer system, then most likely it has been added to another software that you have recently installed. The majority of PUPs can be attached to other free programs and distributed as an ‘optional downloads’ with them. Most PC users install such additions without realizing that because they tend to install software carelessly. To avoid installing programs that you were not willing to install, you need to use either Advanced or Custom installation settings. The setup then should expand the settings window and show a list of ‘recommended programs.’ All you need to do is to opt-out suggestions to install unknown software. Then you can finish the installation process. This is the easiest way to avoid YoutubeAdBlock hijack and also prevent other potentially unwanted programs from hijacking your machine.
To learn how to remove this application manually, please continue reading below.
How to uninstall Youtube AdBlock adware?
YoutubeAdBlock virus can be extremely annoying as it works in an unfair way. Although it claims to remove advertisements, it actually shows them. We believe that ad-blocking program should not function this way. That is why we recommend removing it. You can use one of our recommended anti-spyware programs and delete this PC intruder automatically; alternatively, you can follow the removal guidances that we have provided below the article and remove this adware program manually.
Uninstall from Windows
Uninstall from Windows 10/8:
- Type Control Panel into the Windows search box and open the result.
- Under Programs, select Uninstall a program.
Uninstall from Windows 7/XP:
- Click on Windows Start > Control Panel (Windows XP users should click on Add/Remove Programs).
- In Control Panel, select Programs > Uninstall a program.
Remove the unwanted program:
- In the Programs and Features window, look for any recently installed suspicious entries, select them, and click Uninstall.
- If User Account Control appears, click Yes to confirm, then complete the removal.
Delete from macOS
Remove the unwanted application:
- From the menu bar, select Go > Applications.
- In the Applications folder, look for any suspicious entries, then drag them to Trash (or right-click and pick Move to Trash).
Delete leftover files and folders:
- Select Go > Go to Folder.
- Enter /Library/Application Support and remove any suspicious folders related to the unwanted program.
- Repeat the same check in the /Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchDaemons folders, deleting any suspicious entries.
- Finally, empty the Trash to permanently remove the leftovers.
Remove from Google Chrome
Delete malicious extensions from Google Chrome:
- Open Google Chrome, click on the Menu (three vertical dots at the top-right corner) and select More tools > Extensions.
- In the newly opened window, you will see all the installed extensions. Uninstall all suspicious extensions related to the unwanted program by clicking Remove.
Clear cache and web data from Chrome:
- Click on Menu and pick Settings.
- Under Privacy and security, select Clear browsing data.
- Select Browsing history, Cookies and other site data, as well as Cached images and files.
- Click Clear data.
Change your homepage:
- Click menu and choose Settings.
- Look for a suspicious site in the On startup section.
- Click on Open a specific or set of pages and click on three dots to find the Remove option.
Reset Google Chrome:
If the previous methods did not help you, reset Google Chrome to eliminate all the unwanted components:
- Click on Menu and select Settings.
- In the Settings, scroll down and click Advanced.
- Scroll down and locate Reset and clean up section.
- Now click Restore settings to their original defaults.
- Confirm with Reset settings.
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