Spyware firms closed down
p2p news / p2pnet: Speaking of spyware, three Internet firms have been shut down for secretly bundling malicious applications with ring tones, music programs and other “free high-tech goodies”.
Their spyware tracked victims’ Internet activity, hijacked their home pages and deluged them with unwanted pop-up ads, the US Federal Trade Commission said, according to Reuters.
It was also disguised as a security upgrade for Microsoft’s Internet Explorer browser, says the story.
“The assets of Enternet Media Inc. and Conspy & Co. Inc., based in California, and Iwebtunes, based in Ohio, have been frozen pending further court action, the FTC said. The court also ordered all three firms to halt downloads of the software,” says Reuters, adding:
“The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill in May that would stiffen jail sentences and establish multimillion-dollar fines for spyware purveyors, but the Senate has not yet taken it up.”
See:-
spyware – Sony BMG drops spyware DRM, November 12, 2005
Reuters – 3 companies shut down on spyware charges, November 10, 205
November 12th, 2005 at 4:42 pm
Why are not they prosecuting Sony? The law needs to be applied to everyone, not just some small entity or individual. This law is no good unless it also protects the people from the likes of Sony. But to tell you the truth, even if Sony is made to pay the fine, it would not harm them a bit. A few million dollars is like a drop in the bucket compared to what they make from millions of their cash cow consumers. The so call class action lawsuit will most likely cause Sony to have to give some kind of discount to their victims the next time they purchase Sony products.
The only way this law would have any real teeth is if the law mandated a fine of a certain percentage of their earnings (say about 15%). Another alternative is to convert about 80% of their cash cow consumers into customers who must be respected. This is exactly what is being done by p2p application coders as well as the “Sue them all” campaign. It was the “Sue them all” campaign that stopped me from doing business with the music and movie studios. I haven’t rented a single movie or bought a single one of their records since the beginning of this year. I am also telling as many people as I can about the misdeeds of the entertainment cartels as well as the alternatives to doing business with them.
Below is to the cartels:
HEY CARTELS, keep making enemies out of your customers. This is the best way I can think of that will cause your destruction. Each person you terrorize with your frivilous lawsuits knows approximately 255 people. If they even tell 50 of those people about what you have done, and it pisses of only about 20, then you have greatly damaged your business. You sued a someone in my city, and now it is going to cost you about 203.40 per year in lost revenue because I no longer puchase at least one CD a month like I used to. I know of about 25 people in Panama City who refuse to purchase music now because they heard about your actions. Using very conservative figures (my former music purchases), that amounts to $5085 a year. The ages of those people who I know are pissed off about this “Sue them all” campaign range from the early teens to the mid 20’s. I know they used to purchase much more music and movies than I ever did. However, they now know where they can get a better deal. They know about FreeWan, Darknets, and CD + DVD exchanges and many other methods or trading that are way beyond the reaches of your goons. Those who you persecute are some of your best customers. Now they are your worst nightmares because thay are telling their friends and neigbor about how you have screwed them. Yes, you may win in your court rooms and yes, you may extract thousands of extorted dollars from your customers, but in the process, you have created many, many ex- customers.
Now, even extorting money from people who cannot fight you is not satiating your lust for money and power. Now, you have taken it upon yourselves to start trespassing and breaking into your customers’ computers in order to install things that will cripple their computers, along with allowing other malware to flourish and worst of all, you think this is OK because you have these customers agree to a deceptive “End User’s Licencing Agreement.” Thankfully, I am a geek, and I do not run Microsoft’s crap, however, I do fix computers for my friends, relatives, and neigbors. I get to tell them that the product that they have purchased from one of your members has crippled their computer. After an hour or so of work performed on their computer, I can tell them that their machine is clean. When they ask me what I owe them, I usually tell them about the various alternatives to purchasing entertainment that is not infected by the code used by one or more of your members. I tell them that these alternative are much cheaper and does not include code to limit the functioning of their computers or allow other malware to hide. I tell them that the time I spent disinfecting their computer is on me – this time. I also tell them that the next time, they will have to pay me $45. You see, Mr. cartel executive, you may purchase laws and courtroom decisions that allow you to operate however you please, but word of mouth is a real killer. You have the compliance of your judges, politicians, and regulators, but you are losing the loyalty of the people who give you the means of purchasing your power. These people are the ones who have been buying your stuff.