Adware Cannibals Feast On Each Other

KingFishKingFish
edited December 2004 in Science & Tech
Companies that use free software downloads to target Web surfers with annoying ads are turning on each other to keep customers--and the cash they generate--for themselves.
The tactic is in the spotlight in a little-noticed legal dispute unfolding in Seattle. Caribbean-based ad company Avenue Media last month accused New York-based DirectRevenue of using competing software to detect and delete Avenue Media's Internet Optimizer program from its customers' computers.

According to the Nov. 24 complaint, DirectResponse's software detects Internet Optimizer and then sends a command to "kill" the program, a process that deletes its files from the PC registry and from the computer altogether. Avenue Media said DirectRevenue's tactics have caused it to lose about 1 million customers--about half its installed base--and as much as $10,000 a day in revenue.

"DirectRevenue, knowingly and with intent to defraud, exceeded its authorized access to users' computers...by automatically uninstalling Avenue Media's Internet Optimizer upon installation or update of DirectRevenue's competing browser," according to the complaint, which was filed in a district court in Seattle.
Oh how bittersweet. Let them fight like little children. The only bad thing about the deal is that tactics like this may lead to system instabilities by companies not properly testing what they are deleting in some cases. -KF

Source: ZDNet

Comments

  • primesuspectprimesuspect Beepin n' Boopin Detroit, MI Icrontian
    edited December 2004
    I want to go to that courtroom and yell at the judge: BOTH OF THESE IDIOTS REPRESENT SPYWARE COMPANIES, YOUR HONOR
  • deepseadeepsea Lancaster, PA
    edited December 2004
    I want them to subpoena some computer users so that they can testify that their PCs have been cleaned of one bogus hack by another bogus hack, so that the people they subpoena can then turn on them...there must be some legal grounds to sue them.....unlawful taking comes to mind.
  • SchWartzSchWartz
    edited December 2004
    A few weeks ago, as I was trying to research an infestation, at least one security company was reporting that some of the most malicious spyware--the stuff whose creators are destined for the lower circles of hell-- eat annoying little adware in order to keep the putative computer owner happy and ignorant of the evil malice lurking in his machine.
Sign In or Register to comment.