Help for Cable customers

Why do I need an ad blocker?

• Helps to make the Internet a more pleasurable experience
• Makes your browsing faster. Pop-ups and advertisements can slow down your browsing
• Removes offensive, malicious and inappropriate pop-ups and advertisements

Using an ad blocker

Ad blockers are used to remove ads; speeding up web browsing while leaving the rest of the page intact. How do web ads work?

When you browse a website, a request is sent to the ad server, which is usually another website where advertisements are downloaded from. Often, the browser's request to the ad server contains previously saved cookie information that allows the server to recognise you in order to display an ad that is relevant to you.

Choosing an ad blocker

Internet browsers now offer an increasing number of tools to protect you against pop-ups and ads. For example, the most up-to-date versions of Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer include pop-up blockers built-in, and a range of plug-ins (also called extensions) have been developed that can be added to your browser’s defences to prevent ads from displaying: most are offered free. These plug-ins are usually developed by third party developers and newer, more effective plug-ins are regularly being created, so it’s advisable to search the plug-in database of your browser and check reviews. A simple search for your chosen browser’s name and the words ‘ad blocker plug-in’ will usually lead you in the right direction.

Virgin Media does not take responsibility for any third-party applications or plug-ins.

For further information on pop-ups you can read our article: How do I stop pop-ups?