 2kmaroThinkPremium,ExMod 1 BC
join:2000-07-11
ColossalCave | David vs Goliath? said by BBR Commentary:
Corporate anti-spyware vendors seem unwilling to stand up to the industry and critics are being threatened.
The question may be one of size. I picture most, if not all but one (I'll get to that one soon enough), of the anti-spyware tool makers as being small companies. Corporations in name only at best. Under most state's laws it only takes 3 people to incorporate anyhow. So the way it appears in my mind is that a bunch of small businesses (anti-spyware app makers) are suddenly confronted with spyware, adware, foistware, CRAP-TO-WASTE-MY_TIMEware that have enormous financial resources at their disposal to browbeat the smaller, less financially capable proponents of privacy.
Ask yourself, how many people do you envision "on staff" at places like SpamCop, or at Lavalys (AdAware)? Compare that to some company with business dealings to provide advertising to very large companies. Who is David and who is Goliath.
Now, to that one anti-spyware maker that might just be big enough to stand up to the whole lot: Microsoft Corporation. I was truly rather pleased to see them purchase Giant Anti-Spyware primarily because of their size. They definitely have the resources to keep a product up to date, keeping up with new crapware in the same fashion that companies like McAfeee, Symantec and Kaspersky keep up with freshly released viruses, trojans and worms. They also have the financial resources to resist the intimidation efforts of just about anyone they care to take on, including the DOJ  .
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then think again! |
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| I see it playing out as such:
Small anti-spyware vendors fold easily to legal pressure that their apps are removing products users have signed a EULA for, so small outfits back down.
Large outfits might have the legal firepower to stand tough, but they'll more likely succumb to the cash pull of marketing cooperation (like Aluria, who struck a deal with WhenU and provides AS services for AOL).
That leaves privacy advocates who want it ALL removed (even if they accidentally clicked on a 74 page EULA) with open-source apps who won't bend to pressure (at least until they start selling product) as their only option. |
