Comcast Open Wi-Fi Hotspots Delivers Ads Into Browser

Comcast has just ensured that users have one extremely good reason to make demands for an HTTPS connection when it comes to visiting other sites – for the simple fact that Comcast, an Internet service provider, has begun to include ads in its services across various websites where those ads would not have been there in the first place whenever one makes use of an Xfinity public Wi-Fi hotspot.

In other words, whenever you are browsing through a particular news site, there might be a pop up ad from Comcast that sneaks into the bottom segment of your screen – something which had never happened in the past. Apparently, this has been going on for months, but it was raised not too long ago after a report by Ars Technica.

These injections could function as an alert to inform users that they are indeed plying data via a Comcast hotspot, as well as the presence of inserted ads whose main aim is to promote Comcast’s Xfinity mobile apps. I suppose this is a classic case of misguided intention, since throwing in JavaScript into a browser might actually make the situation less secure as potentially unintentional security vulnerabilities start to appear.

It must also be said that Comcast is not the only “guilty” party in this case where ISPs are concerned, as other public Wi-Fi hotspot locations also practice injecting ads into one’s browsing experience.

Edwin Kee
Categories: Computers
Tags: comcast, WiFi