That's not part of a Flash "update", but rather part of a Flash program download. To stop getting those 'extras' you need to read the downloads page completely and deselect each of the extras that are preselected automatically.

If you would use this page for the Flash download - https://www.adobe.com/products/flashplayer/distribution3.html - you would get Flash without those extras. Problem is that page is scheduled to be decommissioned on June 30th, but that has been threatened since February or March and the date keeps getting postponed a few days after the posted deadline has passed.

When you are on this page:

https://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/

There is a section where you can deselect extras. Some Adblock Plus users have reported that that section was hidden because it looks like an ad. Whoops!

To 'The Edmeister': Thanks for your help. I realize that the extras are not part of Flash per se, just programs included with the Flash download. That being said, when I go to the Firefox / Add-ons link, and select ‘Check to see if your plug-ins are up to date’, and then on the ‘Check your plug-ins’ page select ‘Update now’, I’m taken to https://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/. (Continued in...) To 'JScher2000': Thanks to you too. But to both of you... When I click on https://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/, I have 3 ‘sections’ on screen: The first is the Adobe Flash version, requirements and my system info, the second is the ‘About’ description, and the third is ‘Terms and Conditions’ with links to ‘Licensing Agreement’ and ‘Install Now’. The only other links are to ‘Need for a different computer?’, ‘Are you an IT manager?’ and ‘Choose your region’ – nothing else, nothing that looks like an ad. The only security software I’m running is AVG free version – is THAT an ad blocker as suggested by "Some Adblock Plus users have reported that that section was hidden because it looks like an ad. Whoops! “

In other words, going the 'obvious' route through Firefox's links, I see no option anywhere to prevent the extra crap from being downloaded & installed. If I however searched generically for the Adobe update, only then did I find the link suggested by 'The EdMeister', which is https://www.adobe.com/products/flashplayer/distribution3.html, and which does allow me to deselect the extra crap. If that link in fact disappears... the answer then becomes... what?

This is what I see on https://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/, which I think is the standard display. I don't know why you have a different center section.

The other page offers "full" installers; you should not need to deselect anything.

Anyway, once you have Flash installed, Flash will update itself every so often, or you can trigger it from the Windows Control Panel, where Flash has its own widget.

billyrave said

... only then did I find the link suggested by 'The EdMeister', which is https://www.adobe.com/products/flashplayer/distribution3.html, and which does allow me to deselect the extra crap. If that link in fact disappears... the answer then becomes... what?

You're worrying about the future. Do what works now and then worry about the future when the future becomes the "now". By then Flash might be in the rear view mirror. Firefox will lose all NPAPI plugins by the end of the year - by 2017 they'll be history and Flash will be gone.

The only permanence with computer software is that it will change. Old stuff will fade away, to be replaced by newer software; that's called progress.