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adware



Direct Revenue to Pay $1.5 Million over Pop-ups

Written on
February 19th 2007
Author
Editor

Adware company Direct Revenue has agreed to pay the FTC $1.5 million after facing charges that the company illegally installed advertising software on users computers without their knowledge or consent. According to the FTC, Direct Revenue enticed consumers with free content like games, icons and screensavers, but did not adequately inform [...] more...

Adware Purveyors Capitulate to Cuomo

Written on
January 30th 2007
Author
Editor

Several major advertisers who used the adware service Direct Revenue have reached a settlement with New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, agreeing to pay tens of thousands of dollars in penalties and to only use advertising services that offer full disclosure to customers. According to Cuomo’s office, this is the [...] more...

Zango Makes Nice with FTC

Written on
November 3rd 2006
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Editor

Zango, the online media company formerly known as adware developer 180solutions, has reached an agreement with the Federal Trade Commission to resolve the investigation into its alleged unfair trade practices. According to the Center for Democracy and Technology, the advocacy group that filed the complaint with the FTC in January, Zango [...] more...

Judge Dismisses Class Action Suit Against Zango

Written on
September 7th 2006
Author
Editor

Behavioral ad technology provider Zango, formerly known as 180solutions, has been dodging allegations that its services are spyware-oriented since 2002, when 180solutions began distributing its Search Assistant software. In September 2005, computer user Logan Simios said that 180solutions software was installed on his computer without his consent and brought a [...] more...

CDT: Advertisers Knowingly Sponsor Adware

Written on
August 10th 2006
Author
Editor

The Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT) has released “Following the Money II”, a follow-up to a report released in March that identified prominent businesses that advertise through the Zango (AKA 180Solutions) adware platform. “Following the Money II” finds that 60% of ads served by adware distributors placed there were [...] more...

Adware Infecting Millions of MySpace Pages

Written on
July 21st 2006
Author
Editor

PC Advisor has reported that iDefense has detected that at least one million users of MySpace.com and other websites have been infected with adware. The adware is spread through a banner advertisement promoting the site Deckoutyourdeck.com. Sites that distribute adware are paid based on the number of machines that get [...] more...

180solutions Acquires Hotbar, Rebrands

Written on
June 7th 2006
Author
Editor

180solutions, a company whose behavioral advertising practices have resulted in a slew of spyware/adware lawsuits, has purchased Hotbar reports the Seattle Times. The latter’s Internet Explorer plug-in is known for letting users customize their toolbar wallpaper, and for tracking their online activities. 180solutions’ purchase of Hotbar is a way [...] more...

Adware: Remembering the Late 20th Century’s Infamous Business Model

Written on
April 12th 2006
Author
Kenneth Musante

It was the late 1990’s. The Internet was wrapped up in the throes of its first bubble. Investors were pouring money into dot-com businesses, running them into the red in order to outgrow their competitors before even thinking about turning a profit. The emerging online advertising industry had grown since [...] more...

Azoogle Continues Adware Crackdown

Written on
April 11th 2006
Author
Editor

Performance marketing company AzoogleAds today announced the adoption of a new Acceptable Use Policy for downloadable software, namely adware. This new set of standards, which the company believes are the strictest in the performance-based market, represents the latest stage in AzoogleAds’ ongoing effort to ensure the quality of its traffic. [...] more...

Spitzer Takes Aim at Direct Revenue

Written on
April 4th 2006
Author
Editor

Just months after declaring it has wiped its hands clean of its nefarious adware practices, Direct Revenue is now facing the wrath for past misdeeds thanks to New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer. Just like his previous actions against similar firms like Intermix, Spitzer is alleging that DR surreptitiously installed [...] more...