Ads by OkayFreedom

What is OkayFreedom?

Developed by Staganos Software GmbH, OkayFreedom is a bogus application presented as a legitimate tool providing VPN services. On initial inspection, this rogue app may seem legitimate and useful, however, OkayFreedom is categorized as adware or a potentially unwanted program (PUP).

One of the reasons for these negative associations is a deceptive software marketing method called 'bundling' used to distribute OkayFreedom. Bundling is stealth installation of third party apps together with regular software, and therefore, users often install this PUP inadvertently during download of free software from freeware download websites.

After infiltration on Internet browsers (Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, and Mozilla Firefox) without users' consent, OkayFreedom generates intrusive online advertisements. These displayed ads may redirect to bogus websites containing infectious content, and therefore, clicking them can lead to high-risk adware or malware infections.

Furthermore, this rogue application continually monitors users' Internet browsing activity and collects various details including browsing information (search queries, websites visited, pages viewed, cookies, etc.), Internet Protocol (IP) addresses (to determine geographic locations), etc.

This recorded data might contain personally identifiable details, and therefore, the presence of the OkayFreedom application on your system can lead to serious privacy issues or even identity theft.

OkayFreedom is regular adware and similar to many rogue applications including ShoppinGate, Knowledge Gains, Web Shield, Jewel Quest Solitaire, Record Page, and GlobeGator. 

These apps claim to enable various useful features, however, they merely generate intrusive ads and share collected data with third parties to generate revenue. You are strongly advised to eliminate OkayFreedom from your system immediately.

At time of research, most adware (including OkayFreedom) was distributed using small programs called 'download applications' (also called 'installers', 'download managers', 'download clients', etc.) on popular freeware download websites including download.com, soft32.com, and softonic.com.

Although these applications claim to ease the download process, they are developed simply to monetize these websites' free services and traffic by offering installation of additional programs together with the chosen free software. In some instances, third party apps are concealed within the 'Advanced' or 'Custom' installation options.

Although the developers describe these apps as '100% legitimate and virus-free', careless download and installation of freeware often results in adware or malware infections. This situation can be avoided by paying close attention to each step of the free software download procedure and declining all offers to install additional programs.

Furthermore, software downloaded from the Internet should be installed using the 'Advanced' or 'Custom' installation options - this will reveal any bundled apps listed for installation and allow you to decline them. If you have installed OkayFreedom adware, the following removal guide will help you to remove it from your system.

Deceptive free software installers used in OkayFreedom adware distribution:

Screenshot of OkayFreedom adware application:

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Quick menu:

• What is OkayFreedom?
• STEP 1. Uninstall OkayFreedom application using Control Panel.
• STEP 2. Remove OkayFreedom adware from Internet Explorer.
• STEP 3. Remove OkayFreedom ads from Google Chrome.
• STEP 4. Remove 'Ads by OkayFreedom' from Mozilla Firefox.
• STEP 5. Remove OkayFreedom adware from Safari.
• STEP 6. Remove rogue plug-ins from Microsoft Edge.

OkayFreedom adware removal:

Windows 11 users:

Right-click on the Start icon, select Apps and Features. In the opened window search for the application you want to uninstall, after locating it, click on the three vertical dots and select Uninstall.

Windows 10 users:

Right-click in the lower left corner of the screen, in the Quick Access Menu select Control Panel. In the opened window choose Programs and Features.

Windows 7 users:

Click Start (Windows Logo at the bottom left corner of your desktop), choose Control Panel. Locate Programs and click Uninstall a program.

macOS (OSX) users:

Click Finder, in the opened screen select Applications. Drag the app from the Applications folder to the Trash (located in your Dock), then right click the Trash icon and select Empty Trash.

In the uninstall programs window, look for "OkayFreedom", select this entry and click "Uninstall" or "Remove".

After uninstalling the potentially unwanted program that causes OkayFreedom ads, scan your computer for any remaining unwanted components or possible malware infections. To scan your computer, use recommended malware removal software.

Remove OkayFreedom adware from Internet browsers:

Video showing how to remove potentially unwanted browser add-ons:

Remove malicious add-ons from Internet Explorer:

Click the "gear" icon (at the top right corner of Internet Explorer), select "Manage Add-ons". Look for "OkayFreedom", select this entry and click "Remove".

Optional method:

If you continue to have problems with removal of the okayfreedom adware, reset your Internet Explorer settings to default.

Windows XP users: Click Start, click Run, in the opened window type inetcpl.cpl In the opened window click the Advanced tab, then click Reset.

Windows Vista and Windows 7 users: Click the Windows logo, in the start search box type inetcpl.cpl and click enter. In the opened window click the Advanced tab, then click Reset.

Windows 8 users: Open Internet Explorer and click the gear icon. Select Internet Options.

In the opened window, select the Advanced tab.

Click the Reset button.

Confirm that you wish to reset Internet Explorer settings to default by clicking the Reset button.

Remove malicious extensions from Google Chrome:

Click the Chrome menu icon (at the top right corner of Google Chrome), select "Tools" and click "Extensions". Locate "OkayFreedom", select this entry and click the trash can icon.

Optional method:

If you continue to have problems with removal of the okayfreedom adware, reset your Google Chrome browser settings. Click the Chrome menu icon  (at the top right corner of Google Chrome) and select Settings. Scroll down to the bottom of the screen. Click the Advanced… link.

After scrolling to the bottom of the screen, click the Reset (Restore settings to their original defaults) button.

In the opened window, confirm that you wish to reset Google Chrome settings to default by clicking the Reset button.

Remove malicious plugins from Mozilla Firefox:

Click the Firefox menu (at the top right corner of the main window), select "Add-ons". Click "Extensions", in the opened window, remove "OkayFreedom".

Optional method:

Computer users who have problems with okayfreedom adware removal can reset their Mozilla Firefox settings.

Open Mozilla Firefox, at the top right corner of the main window, click the Firefox menu, in the opened menu, click Help.

Select Troubleshooting Information.

In the opened window, click the Refresh Firefox button.

In the opened window, confirm that you wish to reset Mozilla Firefox settings to default by clicking the Refresh Firefox button.

Remove malicious extensions from Safari:

Make sure your Safari browser is active, click Safari menu, and select Preferences....

In the opened window click Extensions, locate any recently installed suspicious extension, select it and click Uninstall.

Optional method:

Make sure your Safari browser is active and click on Safari menu. From the drop down menu select Clear History and Website Data...

In the opened window select all history and click the Clear History button.

Remove malicious extensions from Microsoft Edge:

Click the Edge menu icon  (at the upper-right corner of Microsoft Edge), select "Extensions". Locate all recently-installed suspicious browser add-ons and click "Remove" below their names.

Optional method:

If you continue to have problems with removal of the okayfreedom adware, reset your Microsoft Edge browser settings. Click the Edge menu icon  (at the top right corner of Microsoft Edge) and select Settings.

In the opened settings menu select Reset settings.

Select Restore settings to their default values. In the opened window, confirm that you wish to reset Microsoft Edge settings to default by clicking the Reset button.

• If this did not help, follow these alternative instructions explaining how to reset the Microsoft Edge browser.

Summary:

Commonly, adware or potentially unwanted applications infiltrate Internet browsers through free software downloads. Note that the safest source for downloading free software is via developers' websites only. To avoid installation of adware, be very attentive when downloading and installing free software. When installing previously-downloaded free programs, choose the custom or advanced installation options – this step will reveal any potentially unwanted applications listed for installation together with your chosen free program.

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