PointRoll

PointRoll is an old tracking cookie associated with the PointRoll company. The company is now part of Sizmek Inc., which suggests that the cookie itself might now have a different name as well. To be more specific, it may be now called Sizmek. It does not really matter what name it has because it should act the same in both cases – it is used to collect information. Tracking cookies do not act like ordinary programs that are installed on users’ computers. Technically, they are not installed but placed on users’ web browsers instead. All popular web browsers, including Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, and Google Chrome can be affected, so if there is an undesirable cookie on one browser, there is a huge possibility that you will find it placed on the other one too if you use it to surf the Internet from time to time as well. Luckily, all undesirable cookies can be removed quite easily. The same can be said about PointRoll. It is not harmful, but you should definitely delete it today if you could not say that its presence on your system is very pleasant to you. We promise to help you to get rid of it in this article, but first let us tell you more about the PointRoll tracking cookie.

Sizmek Inc., the company behind PointRoll, promises that it does not use this tracking cookie to collect information that could determine the actual visitor’s identity. PointRoll is placed on users’ web browsers when they open any of the websites that belong to advertisers, advertising agencies, publishers, and other companies using Sizmek services instead. You might find the PointRoll tracking cookie placed on your browser too if you view the advertisement that promotes Sizmek customers’ products or services. Let’s talk about what PointRoll is capable of now. First of all, as research conducted by specialists at pcthreat.com has clearly shown, PointRoll might be used to record more technical details. These include IP address, details about the web browser and the device used, and the approximate geographic location based on the location of the device. Second, PointRoll might be used to collect information about Internet users’ online activities. Once the tracking cookie is placed on the web browser, it may start collecting details about websites visited, advertisements served to the user, and users’ interactions with those advertisements. There is no need to worry about that. Generally speaking, this tracking cookie is used to collect statistics in order to provide users with relevant advertisements in the future. Of course, it does not mean that you cannot remove it if you do not like it.

PointRoll is not anywhere near an ordinary program that users can download from the web. To be honest, users may not even know about its appearance on their systems because this tracking cookie is dropped on users’ computers when they open certain websites or click on ads. It is placed on the web browser to collect some information about users. As mentioned, tracking cookies are not malware trying to steal personally-identifiable information. We can assure you that your personal details, including your name, surname, email address, and other details are safe even if you decide to keep PointRoll. What else you should know about cookies for the future is that they can be avoided even though so many websites use them these days. You can simply disable cookies on the web browser you use. Users are also allowed to manage them quite easily – you just need to access the Cookies menu on your web browser. Also, to avoid untrustworthy cookies, you should not click on any suspicious ads you find on the web, especially if you are presented with them after opening a shady website.

As mentioned, users can manage cookies stored on their browsers quite easily. It means that users can delete selected cookies without difficulty as well. If you are not planning on keeping PointRoll, you should definitely use the manual removal guide our specialists have prepared for those users who consider themselves less experienced and need some guidance. Alternatively, you can use a reliable antimalware scanner to remove it from your system. We cannot promise that all the scanners would work as expected though.

Delete PointRoll

Internet Explorer

1. Launch Internet Explorer.
2. Tap Alt+T.
3. Click Internet options.
4. Open the Advanced tab.
5. Click Delete under Browsing history.
6. Check the box next to Cookies and website data.
7. Click Delete.

Mozilla Firefox

1. Start Mozilla Firefox.
2. Access the menu.
3. Click Options.
4. On the left, click Privacy & Security.
5. Scroll down to Cookies and Site Data.
6. Click the Clear Data button.
7. Mark Cookies and Site Data.
8. Click Clear.

Google Chrome

1. Open Google Chrome.
2. Open the menu by pressing Alt+F.
3. Click Settings.
4. Start typing cookies in the search box at the top.
5. Select Clear browsing data.
6. Under Advanced, make sure Time range is set to All time.
7. Mark Cookies and other site data.
8. Click Clear data.