Sites like this need to be called-out and shitlisted.
They have no regard for whether computers get infected. It's even worse when it's a site for supposedly "legitimate" software (or any download) allowing huge green [DOWNLOAD] buttons and deceptive ads. These links almost always lead to spyware/malware traps. We all know it. Many of us wonder about how many people it hurts. It's obvious to most of us to decipher what is/isn't a correct file. However, it isn't obvious to a general audience. And that's a very serious problem for anyone who actually cares about other people.
It's also a reason I leave adblocking off for general browsing. I like to see which sites are careless. Regarding Paint.NET itself, it's one of the closed-source programs I use sometimes while on Windows. Sure, it's a good step above MS Paint. (Maybe one of these days it'll have basic effects brushes too.) Yet any credit I would've given to their effort goes right out the window with a shameful site. But that's a calculation for revenue they're making: one they'll have to live with.
or use the following command line for expedited service:
>> cat complaint.txt >> /dev/null
As an advertiser, you have very limited options for controlling the ads. If you try to manage them one by one, you'll be playing whackamole for forever. Probably the most effective method is disallowing all ads for software on your pages (via the Ad Review Center interface, handy picture available here: http://www.seobook.com/images/google-get-rich-quick.png), but if you're a software company, that a) denies legitimate advertisers the ability to put ads on your page and b) will result in you making very, very little revenue.
If getpaint.net wants to maintain a site with deceptive ads, that's their explicit decision. I couldn't care less about their limited choices. Excuses like that are worth a null device. It's not up to anyone else to figure out for them how they should create an honest/ethical source of revenue. Likewise, complaining to Google is nearly a dead-end. The only decent solution is calling 'em out. Express disappointment and recommend against them. Maybe they'll care. Maybe they won't.
They have no regard for whether computers get infected. It's even worse when it's a site for supposedly "legitimate" software (or any download) allowing huge green [DOWNLOAD] buttons and deceptive ads. These links almost always lead to spyware/malware traps. We all know it. Many of us wonder about how many people it hurts. It's obvious to most of us to decipher what is/isn't a correct file. However, it isn't obvious to a general audience. And that's a very serious problem for anyone who actually cares about other people.
It's also a reason I leave adblocking off for general browsing. I like to see which sites are careless. Regarding Paint.NET itself, it's one of the closed-source programs I use sometimes while on Windows. Sure, it's a good step above MS Paint. (Maybe one of these days it'll have basic effects brushes too.) Yet any credit I would've given to their effort goes right out the window with a shameful site. But that's a calculation for revenue they're making: one they'll have to live with.