I think as a child I got viruses from one of the ads, you know, the ones would put on the side of the site. We had to call in a guy, to clean parents’ computer. I felt really guilty and never touched those ads again.
So Google’s and Meta’s main business are ads. And recently I felt confused. Do people click on ads? Don’t these ads feel phishy to them?
Sorting the safe from the scam seems a terrible way to spend an arvo playing roulette, but sure if she feels she must. Personally I have been very successful searching without those advertisements. You can hover over them as you go past, and their links are invariably complex enough to nope the hell out. I don’t need that sort of risk in my life.
If she honestly wants to shop H&M (USian I’m guessing?) or David Jones or whatever, she should go to their website. Even the most humble local shops have websites these days, my local custom paper seller has, like most shopfronts, had its website long before the shopfront arrived in the world. And buying from the small and local is better for the environment, better for your home town, and more reliable.