Web Browser App Popup Ransom  - Software Privacy Security Identity 009

-

Advertisement

Shop lemonmama 檸檬媽媽 tokens (serial numbered) on eBay.com

https://www.ebay.com/usr/morjas-0

-

I wanted to quickly do some business transaction in my browser.

less than 5 minutes I had planned.

Then i get this popup my web browser wants me to set default.

So I opened a different web browser, and did my business transaction there.

Now afterwards I go back and look at the popup.

It was frustrating to get ransomed like this when I was trying to work quickly.

But my short term solution is use a different browser to work around the issue.

For posterity, in late 2025 when this happened, the ransom browser was Microsoft Edge Browser, and the different web browser was Mozilla Firefox.

However I know most popular web browsers do this type of thing.

And don’t get me started about how modern popular browsers don’t have the option to set a blank page for the ‘new tab’ screen. I’m drafting a separate whole blog post draft about that.

Anyways picture here of the ransom popup that I expeienced:

-

-

Blogging about software privacy security identity topics, this instance, is a security related one.

Perhaps a freedom/liberty one as well.

How do we as users weigh convenience, with freedom and liberty and security?

See also:

#0190 - Military Grade Everything - Security First Approach  |  https://lemonmama.com/lemonmama/2026/0190%20Military%20Grade%20Everything%20Security.html

But.

Then again, didn’t I choose to use this software, and this device?

And so, how about this?

How about the first time I see such a popup.

The very first time I see such an ad.

Then I stop using this device immediately.

I stop using this software immediately.

And find a software that makes me feel free.

Hm, maybe because it was convenient to keep using the same software. Maybe I wasn’t diligent. Maybe I was ignorant. Maybe I was lazy. Maybe I was smart.

So I have now some choices going forward.

I can choose what software to use.

After all there are others like

Hm.

How about this.

How about choosing whichever software makes me stronger.

Choose the software that allows me freedom and liberty.

In conclusion, a ransom from a popup ad on a device, made me feel weaker and feel more powerless, in terms of security and freedom and liberty. But then again I chose to use this software and this device, so, perhaps it is my own behavior I need to reexamine here.

~

#0220, lemonmama.com, by author Morgan Jassen, with commercial interest, 2026-04-26