Aug 29 2006
AOL Labeled ‘Badware’
At one time, the letters AOL were synonymous with the Internet, “I don’t use the Internet, I go on AOL.” So pervasive was their market-share that the grammatically challenged “You’ve got mail” was even made into the title of a movie.
AOL has been in a lot of trouble lately. In June, Vinny Ferrarri recorded his attempt to unsubscribe from AOL and the audio showed a nasty side of AOL, earlier this month, AOL released private search information from over 650,000 of their subscribers, and over the past year, AOL subscribers have dropped by 3.1 million.
Now, it a software watchdog group has labeled AOL software as ‘badware’:
StopBadware.org, the group spearheaded by Harvard Law School and Oxford University to warn consumers about software it deems harmful or deceptive, Monday issued a notice flagging AOL’s client software used in the AOL online service as “badware.â€
AOL 9.0 has been added to the “Badware Watch List,†a kind of software hall of shame, because the AOL software compels the installation of additional and unnecessary software without informing the user, according to StopBadware.org. AOL 9.0 also forces users to take actions they can’t avoid, while also installing “potential adware components†in a manner viewed as badware behavior.
How does AOL reply?
“No company has done more to fight malware than AOL,” company spokesman Andrew Weinstein said. “We’re reviewing the suggestions made in the report, and we are taking steps to address them, as they mostly involve minor UI issues. “
Prior to this latest problem, AOL was working on trust:
Since the search disclosure, AOL has taken steps to restore consumer trust, said Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Jon Miller in a recent e-mail to employees. “There is a tremendous responsibility that goes along with our mission of serving consumers online,” he wrote. “We have to earn their trust each and every day and with each and every action we take.”
I’m not sure how hiding spyware in your installer software that cannot be removed equals trust; I guess I’m just not seeing things properly. After all, I don’t think of AOL as the Internet.
Other’s blogging:
- AOL exposed for unauthorised software installation
- AOL client accused of ‘badware behaviour’
- AOL 9.0 Accused of Behaving Like Badware
- AOL 9 Is Finally Labeled As Badware
- AOL Crosses Line Into Badware Territory
- Anti-spyware Group Pegs AOL 9.0 As ‘Badware’
August 23rd, 2009 at 4:09 pm
Excellent tool! Thank you.