1) Use an ad blocker, always.
2) In advertisements, Google shouldn't allow the advertiser to modify the domain that is displayed. Really, why do they even do this?
3) IDN shouldn't be enabled by default.
2) In advertisements, Google shouldn't allow the advertiser to modify the domain that is displayed. Really, why do they even do this?
3) IDN shouldn't be enabled by default.
Because advertisers usually want to send links to a tracker site of their own first so that they can verify if their numbers match up with what Google reports.
No one trusts anyone in the advertising space, and for good reasons. Advertising has always been a space filled to the brim with crooks and fraudsters.
If I ever work at a cubicle, I will hang this sentence on a large frame over my desk, then stay silent and stare every time someone comes and complains about my ad blockers.
I am waaay past that now.
See previously, gilimp and https://fxtwitter.com/ericlaw/status/1712531148356661494.
There used to be a time where it was moral to whitelist trusted websites to give them ad revenue. That time is far gone.
Stories like this are a stark reminder to use a good adblocker (uBlock Origin) everywhere on every site all the time.
To reuse an overused analogy, adblockers are like condoms for the web.