Removal of Intellitxt link highlighting using Smart Tags. Smart tags
is also referred to as "theftware" and "scumware". The term smart tags
is ambiguous and has been coined since for other usages as well.
Intellitxt
What you see
You will see word or advertising links with green double underlines.
Started by Microsoft which backed down on complaints back in 2001 of Scumware, but now seen as "IntelliTXT" a successor produced by an advertising company from San Francisco, California called Vibrant Media and was launched in April, 2004. Also seen in a malware form that gets installed on your machine (TopKat).
How to eliminate intellitxt ads
Eliminate from pages you read with Adblock (#adblock)
You can eliminate with the "Adblock" extension, if you find and block
the correct Script (.js), but that is really only effective for pages
you regularly visit and take the time to find a particular script.
Actually it is possible to effectively block intellitext, intellitxt, vibrantmedia, and burstnet
easily with Adaware.
[1]
These work 2008-04-20
- http://*.*.intellitxt.com/
- *intellitext*
- *intellitxt*
- *vibrantmedia.com/*
- *burstnet.com*
- *analytics.live.com*
- *analytics.msn.com*
Also trying these...
- "static.vpptechnologies.com" or "jupiter.su.intellitex.com"
GreaseMonkey not effective vs. IntelliTXT ads (#greasemonkey)
Blocking was at one time possible with a "GreaseMonkey" script that
was found and installed from stylish.org, but it probably missed burstnet.com
- GreaseMonkey extension
- Stylish extension
- Hide annoying IntelliText ads (userstyles.org), By Paweł Kubisz, hides context ads placed directly in text - called IntelliText (AdBlock is not able to block IntelliText ads unless you are able to tell which exactly script (*.js) is responsible for IntelliText - for average surfer this could be a bit hard)
This GreaseMonkey script does not work
with 2.0.0.14 nor with Minefield (2008-04-20), but the Adblock items, earlier, do work.
Microsoft's Smart Tag technology and others using
can be turned off with a META tag in your HTML.
[1][2]
<!-- scumware/theftware: http://www.itpulse.com.au/Newsletters/Newsletter02.htm,
and http://gnwda.org/smart-tags.htm -->
<meta name="MSSmartTagsPreventParsing" content="TRUE">
Vibrant Media supposedly provides a method
Vibrant Media supposedly provides a solution, but even if you
trust them you won't be able to do it if you have a decent hosts file
blocking their site.
Test elimination of Intellitxt and SmartTags
Warning: The following pages have Intelli Text advertising.
The ads themselves are believed to be more of an annoyance than a threat
to your system.
- Scumware: IntelliTXT (IntelliText) - Ghost of TopText or Surf+ ?, Melissa Martin, 2004-06-29
- Hi-jacked by Smart Tags - GNWDA, The software helps people fill out forms (e.g. Gator) and stop pop up ads (Surf+). But it comes with a program called TopText (or HOTtext or DesktopDollars, to name two others). When the software is installed, TopText delivers ads using the text on any website.
- How to Remove Those Annoying SmartTag Links - GNWDA, If you're seeing words being highlighted on the webpages you visit -- which are links that the website designer did not put there that take you off the site -- you've inadvertently installed on your computer the software that does it. It piggy-backed secretly on a program you chose to download (KaZaA, a NAPSTER-style file-sharing program, eZula, Gator, and others).