Thread:FishTank/@comment-1073922-20160713053758/@comment-4522253-20160713060009

Interesting. As I also said in the same conversation, it was before my time, so I wasn't privy to it as it unfolded. So, my understanding of the situation as it occurred then is flawed. I heard no mention that it had spread beyond RS, and was told explicitly that it lasted under an hour. So, perhaps my memory is faulty as well that it was not found, since I also remember that it was not reproduced.

Either way, Portable Infoboxes were never designed to insert ads. And, as you concede, there has not been a recurrence in 9 months. The code is public, and you can see if you choose that such was never sneaked in. I'm sorry that this has caused a lack of confidence in the project for you, and a lack of confidence in Vanguard, which was formed well after the incident took place.

However, what gives me pause is that question: "Are the communities that have switched over to Portable Infoboxes unknowingly serving their readers even more advertisements right now?" If there are ads, wouldn't we want people to see them? Isn't that rather the point of an ad? How can these communities "unknowingly" be serving readers ads? This question makes little sense to me, and while I don't want to dismiss it or your concerns out of hand, I'm not clear how something can both be there and not be there like Schrodinger's cat.