And so it begins

[Wolfsraider]

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 [sic] 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.


According to Avenue Media, this uninstall tactic has caused the company to lose 1 million users - nearly half of the installed base, and has resulted in up to US$10,000 per day in lost revenue. Companies that value their customer base would be walking on shaky ground by deleting and modifying installed programs, but adware and spyware companies operate on the fringe of ethical practices. Their target customer is not the tech savvy computer owner who keeps track of installed programs, instead they prey on individuals who like browser do-dads while ignoring EULAs and what processes are running in the background. When customers balk, they point to the EULA which states:


"You further understand and agree, by installing the Software, that BetterInternet and/or the Software may, without any further prior notice to you, remove, disable or render inoperative other adware programs resident on your computer ..."

Read more

 

[networkman]

Ugh.. I just knew I was going to be reading WEIRD things before getting a chance to have coffee this early in the morning. :roll:

 

[Soggysocks]

I think these Adware companies should sue each other out of existance and the Last one remaining, Having a "Class Action Suite" filed against them by the targeted victims ! :|

 

[Dalephi]

I agree with you Soggy!

 

[ProviaFan]

Originally posted by: Soggysocks
I think these Adware companies should sue each other out of existance and the Last one remaining, Having a "Class Action Suite" filed against them by the targeted victims ! :|

Abso-freaking-lutely! Let the adware lawsuit madness begin!

 

[RaySun2Be]

and I agree with Dalephi!

 

[kamper]

I read that a few days ago and found it quite funny. They are making some major assumptions going from:
"It's not illegal for me to install myself on someone's computer, even though they don't want me"
to
"I have a right to be on that person's computer"
to
"I own space on that computer and it is illegal for anyone to try to dislodge me"

By that logic they ought to be sueing the companies that make spyware removal tools. And while the idea of spyware programs deleting eachother seems good, it's really only going to make them more vicious, making it harder to get rid of them on purpose

 

[Ken g6]

It's only natural evolution. Viruses (the biological kind) and bacteria have been doing this for millenia. That's where we get most of our antibiotics.

So maybe now AdAware and such companies can dig the other-spyware-removal code out of two such spywares and put them together to remove all spyware.

 

[Wolfsraider]

I hope they do Soggysocks:beer:

Kamper
That does iindeed seem they mentality.

I hope the "courts" lay the smack down on all these morons

Mike

 

[kamper]

I think they should bring in the victims to testify. The poor souls whos computers are being modified by the dastardly DirectRevenue. They'll tell everyone all about how they like having Avenue Medias software improving their internet experience.

@Ken_g6: that pattern is quite an interesting observation. I guess we're in for a real arms-race.

 

[ICXRa]

I spent about three hours removing spybots and the like last night on my one of my relatives laptops. One of them was Internet Optimizer which I have never seen and it has to be the most irritating software I have ever uninstalled. I HAD to fill out a form of why I was uninstalling it. I shouldn't have to explain myself period! All in all this machine was eat up with spybots....some 250 plus were detected and had effectively made this 1.5 celery laptop run like a 486 if that good. I had to spend the entire time while I was fixing their laptop explaining not to download anything of the sort. These are good people who have been taken advantage of by some shady companies who prey on peoples lack of knowledge in the computer world. It's really sad IMO!