I feel completely overwhelmed. After years of observing at the sidelines and several nearly sleepless nights in recent days trying to figure out the sophisticated network of unethical (and sometimes fraudulent) money-making Internet advertising companies, I am more than ever indignant at their ceaseless growth.
It will probably be an inconceivable fortuity, if you are an active Internet user who has never encountered the unforgettable experience of dealing with dubious advertising software, ready to offer you everything and anything - from underwear and shiny jewels to striking discounts at top-rated retailers.
Many regard the advent of spyware and the considerably less obtrusive adware software as a result of the economic slowdown, where dot-com companies had to make a crucial choice - whether to pack up and close their doors or be aggressive in their marketing. For me, the actual reasons lay much deeper. When the concept of shareware software met the lack of control of the ever-growing Internet community, it was perfectly clear that small and medium-sized software developers had limited time to contrive another, fundamentally different business strategy. The result is conspicuously obvious today: another flawed concept - adware software.
The appearance of ad-supported software was set to happen long before music-swapping revolutionized the Internet, but file-sharing filliped the debut of this previously unseen business platform. On one hand, software developers around the globe rejoiced at the stunning interest shown towards their services. The free and easy access to the largest collections of music on Earth magnetically attracted millions of users, skyrocketing their relatively unwieldy programs at the top places of prominent software download charts. On the other hand, file-sharing solutions like BearShare, Kazaa, or even Napster were doomed to fail if they started asking for money in exchange for top-notch sharing. It is evidently ironic to expect from people who openly steal music to pay you for aiding them to do so. The regular file-sharing user will more than certainly resort to the services of the growing underground network of warez sites which give you everything for virtually nothing in return.
So when software makers started scouring for advertising solutions, the Internet was the perfect place to sell their popularity. But the questionable legality of their services, significantly curtailed their options for cutting deals with respectable advertising agencies which admonished the detriments of file-sharing to the global software and music industries. The Internet throng, however, offered people who were ready to close their eyes and make money disregarding ethics and business morality.
The result? Cydoor, C2 Media, AADCOM, WURLD Media, TopMoxie, VX2, WhenU.com - companies that did not exist several years ago, companies you may have never heard of, but companies who know more things about you than you have ever imagined. They have much in common - suspiciously looking web sites, vague addresses, and most importantly - controversial technology.
Most people consider them spyware makers, offering unethical advertising software bundled with the programs you so much love. They pay software companies to include their advertisement modules into their installation packages. Once installed their software's actions are governed by a privacy policy containing doubtful claims and unwanted exposure. On top of that, your software developers have proven they care little about the bundled third-party technology as long as they are paid for it. In December 2001, the popular Grokster application was caught red-handed with a Trojan program in its installation program, which on its part was included with a module called Clicktilluwin (maker unknown). LimeWire, a company producing another popular file-swapping program, showed reprehensible lack of knowledge about the bundled software they included along with their program.
Most companies creating dubious advertising technologies work primarily underground, often acting under fake names and spurious addresses. Their tracks are often hard to follow, but they actually do try to make a memorable name for themselves and step out of the dark. Many experts and researchers in the field have proven that certain companies create spyware software, ignoring consumers privacy rights. But if a company is trying to permanently establish itself, it has to respect (and follow) its privacy statement.
Gator is a prominent example. This California-based corporation has long been known for its little useful eWallet software, which assists Internet users in filling online forms. But the program itself acts as a gigantic magnet for users of its Advertising and Information Network (
GAIN). Gator claims it does not monitor personally identifiable information about its users, although it unethically saves details about their online experience. But if you are not convinced that the company infringes your rights, publishers like New York Times and Dow Jones think otherwise. In 2002, various companies and publisher associations have filed lawsuits against Gator for lost revenue and illegal intervention in their web sites' content. Internet users who have installed Gator's software often see superimposed advertisements on the web pages they visit. Svetlozar Online has been able to confirm that Gator's banners and advertisement animations are not always clearly identified and sometimes cover the content of the web pages the user opens.
Nearly all unethical Internet advertising agencies often respond to such criticisms with the argument of user's acceptance of their License Agreement. For every reasonable person it is perfectly clear that a limited batch of people actually read the multi-page software agreements that pop-up during the installation process, and hypocritical advertisers employ this advantage. The UK-based C2 Media Ltd., owner of the widely detested pay-per-click portal Lop.com, creates a useless MP3 search tool, which hijacks users' browsers continuously redirecting them to their web site. Suspicious sites frequently use techniques that try to automatically download and launch the installation file and C2 Media relies on the rate of confirmations to the lengthy end-user agreement.
Research and numerous statistical studies indicate that users will not individually install offer companions. But if we accept the advertising companies' claims that their software is useful, it is definitely far from compatible and user-friendly. Spyware... er-r-r, adware solutions are known to have been causing massive browser and Windows errors, especially in older operating systems, such as Windows 98, and many have proven that their uninstall programs do not completely remove the companies' software. Analysts have also noted that such programs may (and they actually do) pose a significant threat to computer security since they open unguarded ports transmitting authorized and unauthorized data.
Today, it is unambiguously obvious that the current status quo is unacceptable both to software developers and their users. Software companies are often deceived to bundle third-party software, but are never paid for such inclusions. Users suffer from the increasing unreliability of such software and turn to more friendly, spyware-free solutions. Other software makers are developing spyware protection programs that will eventually turn into an essential part in every Internet-enabled computer system. A solution needs to be found, but it appears that no one is looking in the right direction - Internet governance. And hypocrisy can never be accepted as part of it.
