Download.com Purges Its System of Adware, Announces New Zero Tolerance Policy 5/1/2005 - 892 views, 6 Comments
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Download.com, a division of CNet Networks, has announced that it has purged its extensive library of downloadable software of all programs which contained adware, and that it will strictly enforce its new policy of zero tolerance for such adware-infested programs. The move follows Download.com’s first announcement of about three weeks ago, in which it notified all of its software publishers of the new policy, giving them three weeks to clear any adware out of their software or have the entire software package removed from the Download.com site. Download.com says that once the deadline passsed they removed more than 500 programs containing adware, and that they would continue to police their software catalog to ensure that no software containing adware would be available on their site. Good for them! According to Download.com’s press release, they have always “rigorously tested new submissions to ensure they are safe and secure for users, as well as free of spyware, viruses, and other malicious programs. Now, each new submission will also be thoroughly tested to ensure it is completely adware free, adding another level of protection for the site’s tens of millions of unique monthly users.” Bravo! Perhaps between Download.com’s move, and New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer’s spyware lawsuit against Intermix, users can finally start to see some relief from the constant onslaught of that pesky adware and spyware.
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When are they going to get rid of the spamware? Just a few I found by searching for “bulk” in their Downloads area:
Easy Mass Mailer
123 Bulk Email Direct Sender
123 Hidden Sender
Bulk Mail Extreme
e-txt Bulk SMS Text Manager
LegalSender
Comment by Timmer — 5/2/2005 @ 7:22 am
Timmer,
There are plenty of non-spam uses for those programs and I would question the need to remove them. Look at it this way:
They also host IP-scanners. Are those not used by hackers to find vulnerable systems? Following your logic, shouldn’t they also be removed even though the primary use for them is to help people find vulnerabilities in their systems and, thus, protect themselves from hackers?
Just because a program is used by the seedier part of the net doesn’t make the program itself inherently evil.
Comment by Jason — 5/2/2005 @ 10:10 am
I agree that bulk email apps are not inherently evil, however, from the descriptions:
123 Bulk Email Direct Sender - “Because this mailer sends out mails in MX mode and works like a mail server, you don’t need unreliable blind relays anymore” - why do you need “unreliable blind relays” if the mailing is legit?
123 Hidden Sender - “123 Hidden Sender sends absolute anonymous bulk e-mails. You won’t lose your ISP service. Your IP address will not be shown in the e-mail headers” - again, if you’re legit, what do you need to hide?
LegalSender - “Introducing GhostSender, the most trouble free mailer of all time is finally here. All mail sent by GhostSender is Totally Anonymous! No relays to deal with any more, no need for expensive bulk ISPs. Port 25 is not a problem. You won’t lose your ISP service. It’s a bulker’s dream come true.”
Comment by Timmer — 5/2/2005 @ 12:36 pm
Ok, given the descriptions of those, I do have to bend your way on them. bulk mailers designed with the intent of spamming in the ways these are designed go beyond the “non-spam uses” I was talking about. Obviously, I didn’t go out and read their descriptions.
Maybe it’s something we should start providing feedback on?
Comment by Jason — 5/3/2005 @ 10:02 am
I don’t know if I like this.
Don’t get me wrong, I hate spyware, adware and all their evil brothers & sisters but I’ve always used Download.com as a litmus test for new applications. If I find one that I am unsure of, I’d check to see if Download.com has found any spyware bundled with it. If they remove all applications containing spyware and adware, the next time I find an application that isn’t listed on Download.com does it mean that a) it must be riddled with spyware, or b) that Download.com just hasn’t listed it yet. After all, I can’t expect Download.com to link to every single application available, can I?
Comment by LSM — 5/8/2005 @ 4:50 am
We need a bulk mailer simply to email our subscriber base - usually 100-200 emails every couple of months at the most. I had been using Outlook with a blind CC but wanted something more efficient. So I downloaded a free tool (machMailer) to email 100 emails addresses (opt in subscribers) and all of a sudden NONE of our emails worked - We had been blacklisted by TELUS - somthing that never happened when I used outlook. So when I saw the phrase bypasses you ISP for 123 Bulk Email Direct Sender, I THOUGHT that might solve the problem. Otherwise I have to phone my ISP EVERY TIME I send a bulk email (and we are talking as little as 100). Sigh…
Comment by harriet — 8/31/2005 @ 10:26 am