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eburger68
Premium,MVM
join:2001-04-28
4 edits | Lop.com Goes to the FTC
Hi All:
As many of you probably know, the FTC is holding a workshop on April 19 to address the issue of spyware. As we've discussed this several times in previous threads...
»Tired of being hijacked? TELL the FTC!
»Telling the FTC About Spyware: A Few Tips...
...I won't bother to rehash the information contained in those threads.
What I want to do, however, is point you to several interesting comments that have been filed with the FTC:
PC Pitstop:
»www.ftc.gov/os/comments/spyware/···stop.pdf
PC Pitstop's response contains some damning numbers about Gator/GAIN installations, esp. with respect to the issue of consent. Those numbers basically confirm what most of us already knew: that crapware like Gator/GAIN/Claria is usually installed on people's computers without their full knowledge, understanding, and consent.
The more interesting set of comments, though, is this one:
C2 Media (Lop.com):
»www.ftc.gov/os/comments/spyware/···ucas.pdf
You guessed it: one of the more infamous entities on the Net has filed 5 pages worth of comments. And wouldn't you know that even C2 Media (otherwise known as Lop.com) is now trying to latch on to the "adware" vs. "spyware" definitional distinction to claim that the term "spyware" certainly doesn't apply to their software.
This turn of events was completely expected (see the previous DSLR/BBR threads on this topic for a discussion of this issue). You can expect that every "spyware" or "crapware" purveyor on the Net will be trying to climb under the umbrella of the term "adware" in order to claim that consumer complaints about "spyware" certainly don't apply to them and that the FTC should keep their hands off.
What's amusing (and enraging) about C2 Media's comments is that by arguing that their software is "adware," Lop.com is implicitly claiming that their software is installed with the full knowledge and consent of users.
That's only one of several outrageous arguments that C2 Media makes, however. Among others:
* that the "spyware" controversy has been concocted by an anti-spyware industry looking to cash in on users' fears;
* that anti-spyware apps are dishonest and "should be held equally accountable to fair and truthful advertising standards";
* that because advertising is inevitable, unavoidable, and even morally necessary to support the internet, C2 Media's commercial activities must be tolerated by consumers;
* that advertising software "is the very future of Internet advertising";
* that unscrupulous anti-spyware companies have forced companies like C2 Media to "create new and innovative methods to deliver their message to consumers."
In sum, C2 Media (Lop.com) claims that:
* their software (Lop.com) is not "spyware,"
* anti-spyware apps unfairly target their software,
* the FTC should be going after the anti-spyware industry, not the "adware" industry,
* consumers are obligated to put up with their advertising software in order to support the internet,
* the anti-spyware apps are responsible for the surge in increasingly devilish methods for hijacking users' browsers and foisting toolbars and other unwanted software on them (much as the anti-spam community "forced" spammers to resort to unscrupulous tactics to get their spam around spam blocking efforts/technologies),
* and, finally, the "spyware" problem is all a figment of your imagination and the imagination of greedy anti-spyware companies.
This kind of nonsense demands a response. I will be filing a comment of my own with the FTC over the next few days. See this page for a link to file comments:
»www.ftc.gov/bcp/workshops/spyware/index.htm
I certainly hope more folks take the time to do the same, esp. those who are in a position to demonstrate just how and why companies like C2 Media are blowing smoke.
Best,
Eric L. Howes | |
Jason Levine
Premium
join:2001-07-13
USA
| said by eburger68  :
* that because advertising is inevitable, unavoidable, and even morally necessary to support the internet, C2 Media's commercial activities must be tolerated by consumers;
(Emphasis mine.)
This one is hilarious. Am I being immoral if I don't watch ads? How do their ads support the Internet at large? I guess the only solution is to allow any and every company to pop up endless ad windows on my computer. And it will be my moral duty to read each and every one of them. Of course, I won't be able to buy anything. No time to work when you're reading a thousand ads a day! 
--
-Jason Levine
http://www.jasons-toolbox.com/
http://www.PCQandA.com/
http://www.urateit.com/ | |
RandallPod
join:2004-02-07
Starkville, MS
| reply to eburger68
So they're claiming that adware is to the internet, as commercials are to television and radio?
There is one very significant difference between these two mediums. A commercial on TV or radio will go away on its own after 30 seconds to a minute. This adware garbage remains until the user takes action to make it go away!
And on another note, considering the unscrupulous means used to install this trash on users PC's, who do these people think they are even daring to invoke the idea of "morality" in their argument? | |
Jason Levine
Premium
join:2001-07-13
USA
| said by RandallPod :
There is one very significant difference between these two mediums. A commercial on TV or radio will go away on its own after 30 seconds to a minute. This adware garbage remains until the user takes action to make it go away!
Not to mention, an ad on a television show supports that show. (It helps the station defray the cost of producing/purchasing episodes of the show.) The best web equivalent of this would be ads on a website put there by the webmaster. These ads help the webmaster defray costs and help keep the site operating. (That's why I put up with them, to an extent.) Lop.com ads do not benefit the site in question. If anything, they leech off of the site. It would be as if HBO were able to hijack your TV to show a commercial for the Sopranos when you were watching "Law and Order."
--
-Jason Levine
http://www.jasons-toolbox.com/
http://www.PCQandA.com/
http://www.urateit.com/ | |
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