Holiday surfing often means you are on sites you have never visited. It means you are buying online and clicking on ads. Ads in and of themselves are not the problem. The fast clicking you do during a rush to buy something can be.
Ads are the ways that stores let you know what they have for you and help you make choices. I regularly run ads that show items I find interesting and fun. As a photographer, I often search for camera stuff. The ads I see when I surf that are delivered to me through Amazon often show new camera or photography gear. Your surfing may show other things that you have an interest in seeing. These are not inherently bad.
Ads are shown to you because of your surfing interests online. An example would be; I did a search for a vacuum cleaner. Specifically an upright vacuum. On the browser screen I used later, I saw ads for vacuums. Not a surprise. Could actually be helpful.
When you start getting PoP-Ups and they invade your surfing windows, you may have an early level infection that should be removed.
My advice to you to stay safe is to stick with known sites such as Amazon and Google shopping. There is one more thing you should do. That is scan regularly for Malware or install a copy of the subscription Malwarebytes. Make sure your computer is covered for incoming infections and powerful malicious software. Malwarebytes is also available for Mac users.
The effects of the infections you get during the holiday buying season may not manifest themselves until after January. These infections start small and grow into something difficult to remedy over time. The easy to acquire Adware opens the door to the more infectious Spyware and worse. Adware removed early on prevents the other infections from taking hold.
A protected computer will keep your holiday season happy and healthy.
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