AADCOM
AADCOM calls itself an innovative Internet advertising agency, offering top-notch solutions for advertisers. However, various researchers have linked their Extreme Targeting Technology to a well-known, obtrusive ad module, used by several other Internet marketing companies. Our first glance at AADCOM's web site immediately confirmed that we have encountered a network of dubious companies and suspicious individuals. A quick search at the California Business Portal (part of the web site of the Secretary of the State of California) returned no matches for a registered corporation called "AADCOM," as amiably noted in the copyright line at the bottom of their page. On top of that, AADCOM's Privacy Policy appears to be exercised by another company (Internet Technology Corp.), which has been registered under the address provided on AADCOM's web site.
C2 Media Ltd.
You may have never heard of C2 Media Ltd., but if you've dug into the dark corners of the Internet, it is quite impossible to have missed one of the most annoying and publicly loathed places on the web - Lop.com. The British company, often mistaken for the respected New York-based imaging solutions firm C2 Media LLC, has developed a dull pay-per-click search portal, employing insidious and vile marketing techniques. Disguised as a mp3 or even porn search tool, a small program developed by C2 Media can easily hijack your browser, switching your homepage, altering your browser's 404 errors, and adding tens of new bookmarks, all leading, of course, to Lop.com.
TopMoxie Inc.
TopMoxie is another shady, California-based company that claims to have been founded by two Stanford faculty members. It has been a well-known part of many adware applications for a long time, proclaiming to offer superior marketing technology with an active concern for consumer privacy. Although their web site clearly states that all personally identifiable information is being kept (and analyzed) at the end-user's computer, TopMoxie's software has been involved in a lot of public controversy with a multitude of analysts and experts disputing their claims. Just recently, it has been proved that the company's software meddles with user's cookies, virtually hijacking the affiliate links displayed on the web sites they visit. This seemingly harmless to the end-user act is completely devastating to the publishers relying on the buying mood of their visitors.
