QUESTION
Should popup ads be illegal on the Internet?
LINDA: NO
Some pop-ups are necessary, but most are just annoying. There should be a notice displayed to inform you about a pop-up and give you the decisions as to whether you want to view it or not.
NATE: NO
Popup ads should not be illegal. As much as it hurts me to say that, it is the truth. Although popup ads are annoying and a horrible way of marketing, they are a representation of free speech. Also our government has bigger things to worry about than pesky popup ads. Thirdly, there would be no way to enforce the law without a major government crackdown on internet advertising companies. My suggestion is people get a pop up blocker; if not then live with the nuisance of the popup.
JOHN: YES
Absolutely!! or you should have the opportunity to say you want to go into an ad free site or not (like you have the choice between HTML or Flash sites, sometimes). Nothing drives me more crazy than to breeze through several webpages and then go to close the explorer and see 8 or 9 other windows open. If they are going to allow pop-up windows, then they should ban the ones that state something is wrong with "Windows", because, if you don't know it's just an ad, then you could be getting more than you really want. For instance, every morning I read the newspaper online and one of the pop-ups I get is "Warning, your computer may be infected with Spyware!" It looks like a regular windows warning, but if you push "yes" it will want to start downloading a spyware program on your computer. It's just a vicious circle!!
AMANDA: NO
I think making them illegal would be a bit extreme, but they are definitely a nuisance. If all web browsers were required to offer a popup blocker like Safari and Netscape does, then I think those like me who go crazy when having to close popup ad windows would be much happier.
BEN: NO
No, even as annoying as they are, popup ads shouldn't be illegal. Personally, I try to limit my visits to sites with uncontrollable popups. Until others do this, they'll probably continue for awhile. Popups definitely grab your attention, but so do photos of gruesome crime scenes and nude models. I think one of the problems is the perception of these types of ads. Does anyone actually click on them, at least, on purpose? Do you really want traffic to your site if people really don't want to be there? I'll take all the traffic I can get, but it's sort of silly to mislead someone to get there.
RESULT
Should popup ads be illegal on the Internet? NO, 4-1
NEXT QUESTION
When receiving multiple political emails that you disagree with from a friend, you should tell the person to stop sending them?
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