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Software Communications

180 Solutions Cuts Back on Spyware Installs 158

Posted by ScuttleMonkey from the squeeky-wheel-gets-the-grease dept.
An anonymous reader writes "Washingtonpost.com is reporting that adware purveyor 180Solutions has finally decided to stop letting third-party companies install their programs for commission without 180's approval. The story says 180 announced the move after pressure from public interest groups who threatened to file a formal complaint with regulators at the Federal Trade Commission."
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180 Solutions Cuts Back on Spyware Installs More

180 Solutions Cuts Back on Spyware Installs

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  • Please (Score:4, Insightful)

    by temojen ( 678985 ) on Tuesday October 11, 2005 @08:03PM (#13769928) Journal
    File anyways.
    • Agreed. All this says is "it's okay to bundle spyware, if you stop just before you're sued." It's like police giving coke dealers a warning. Anyone can be a coke dealer, as long as they stop once they get that warning.

    • Re:Please (Score:3, Funny)

      by Red Alastor ( 742410 )
      And we are not even slashdotting them !

      http://www.180solutions.com/ [180solutions.com]

    • Re:Please (Score:2, Interesting)

      by zoogies ( 879569 )
      And threaten to file more often. How many spyware perpetrators would quail before the sight of lawyers? Lawyers! They have a purpose in life now, and it's a good one.
      • If we can get all the lawyers going after the spammers, and then get all the spammers to spam the lawyers. Perhaps they would get caught in an infinite loop, and the rest of us could get on with our lives!

    • A Little Misleading (Score:3, Informative)

      by iamlucky13 ( 795185 )
      Aside from noting that an adware company ending their bundling of spyware with their product is roughly analogous to a suicide bomber deciding not to include shrapnel in his bomb when he takes out school bus, the article is mistitled. 180 Solutions is not, in fact, cutting spyware out of the picture. Reading the article reveals they are merely ceasing the inclusion of Integrated Search Technologies marvelous toolbar/browser hijackers.

      Man how I love getting called in to fix a slow computer and seeing 3 or

  • Oblig. (Score:1, Offtopic)

    by AAeyers ( 857625 )
    Nothing for you to see here. Please move along. This time it makes sense!
  • The closer we get to a spyware-free world, the better.

  • Somehow I doubt getting approval will be very hard (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Clockwurk ( 577966 ) * on Tuesday October 11, 2005 @08:04PM (#13769935) Homepage
    What good is peddling scumware if you can't get ppl to bundle it?

  • Better Ideas (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Scoria ( 264473 ) <{slashmail} {at} {initialized.org}> on Tuesday October 11, 2005 @08:09PM (#13769966) Homepage
    Interestingly, I've noticed that spyware developers only tend to change once they've developed a "better" idea, and rumor has it that a couple of original equipment manufacturers are now installing MyWebSearch [google.com] by default.

    Could it be that some spyware manufacturers are taking the good press while they can, knowing that their current method of installation won't really last? Could they be looking to bypass end-user installation altogether?
    • Most of these guys already do bypass end-user installation by performing automatic installation via exploits, piggybacking on other apps, and deceiving install prompts.
    • ... and rumor has it that a couple of original equipment manufacturers are now installing MyWebSearch by default. Any idea which OEM's pre-install malware?
      • I can think of one...

        HP.

        Take an HP out of the box.

        Install your anti-spyware app of choice - preferably the AdAware/Spybot one-two punch.

        Run the scan.

        Be amazed that there's something there.
        • It's either Sony or Gateway, but one of the two puts WeatherBug on new installs. Gateway inclueds WildTangent games... etc.

    • Re:Better Ideas (Score:4, Informative)

      by Cylix ( 55374 ) on Tuesday October 11, 2005 @10:12PM (#13770558) Homepage Journal
      While it's too late now.

      I'm fairly certain that low end Dell's now ship with it. They have a lot of stuff installed... even Office trial that can be purchased. I'm not sure, but I think WP was the full version, but only included on CD.

      So yeah, that might explain the price break on the new equipment and boy does it slow them down. So of course I wipe and reinstall... then create an image disk for all of the systems.

      Unfortunately, I can't go back and confirm it on the dozen new systems, because they no longer have the factory install.

      • Re:Better Ideas (Score:2, Informative)

        by bcat24 ( 914105 )
        It's not just on low end Dells. I have a fairly new Dell XPS Gen 5 that came with a lot of preinstalled junk, including some borderline spyware.
    • I discovered Fark.com linking to a story with a Myway.com address, and I almost banned that site from my bookmarks. There's no good reason for anyone to install MyWebSearch or any of the CoolWebSearch scamware.

      It make my blood boil that they aren't treated like the virus writers that they are.
      • Most of us run firefox with enough anti-bad plugins that we don't even notice. Not trying to sound elitist, but when the submitter, admin, and everyone commenting doesnt run an exploitable platform, how are they supposed to know what its trying to do? Most of those things are subvert enough that with the right useragent they won't even send you the install code.

  • They Should be in Jail (Score:5, Insightful)

    by PingXao ( 153057 ) on Tuesday October 11, 2005 @08:11PM (#13769978)
    So they get to continue pushing their crap and the only difference is that the CSO - Chief Sleaze Officer - must personally approve every payload turd. Fantastic. They need to be shut down, not threatened with a slap on the wrist.
    • Oh, how many times have I seen 180's crap come up in an 'Adaware' search? How many hours have I spent cleaning up after their mess? I'd sooo love to be part of a class action lawsuit against these guys.

      Mind you, installing stuff with the permission of the user is one thing, installing crapware through ActiveX and Java holes is another.

  • Bad for digiticians! (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Douglas Simmons ( 628988 ) on Tuesday October 11, 2005 @08:11PM (#13769980) Homepage
    Hey, I'm as glad as the next guy to kick spyware writers in the teeth, but we the slashdot readers are a group most densely than any other made up of people who are paid good cash money (sometimes sex!) to clean this crap out of people's computers. Just as Microsoft is capitalizing like a mafia on protection from viruses for money, a market created from writing crappy operating systems, we the slashdot lobby should push for "free speech" rights of the malware industry.
    • but we the slashdot readers are a group most densely than any other made up of people who are paid good cash money (sometimes sex!) to clean this crap out of people's computers.
      Fixing computers for sex! Where the hell are you fixing computers? A porno set?

      • Re:Bad for digiticians! (Score:5, Funny)

        by Supurcell ( 834022 ) on Tuesday October 11, 2005 @08:37PM (#13770138)
        Fixing computers for sex! Where the hell are you fixing computers? A porno set?
        "I got a call that someone had a problem with their computer."
        "I called. I don't think this big, floppy disk will fit in my tiny drive."
        "Don't worry, I'll make it fit. Looks like you have some backdoors on here too."
        • I don't think this big, floppy disk will fit in my tiny drive.
          Mine is hard!
        • "Looks like you have some backdoors on here too."

          "Stand still, there's a trojan in your back orifice" (1)


          (1) Overheard at a Gateway call center (minus the "Stand still" part) when a tech was trying to explain to a customer why their machine was acting erratic.
        • "I called. I don't think this big, floppy disk will fit in my tiny drive"

          Now with herbal viagra. Make your Floppy a Hard-Drive. Order Today!

        • "I got a call that someone had a problem with their computer."
          "I called. I don't think this big, floppy disk will fit in my tiny drive."
          "Don't worry, I'll make it fit. Looks like you have some backdoors on here too."

          I just reached new level of being a nerd. I got a hard-on because of someone writing naughy messages about computers in slashdot.
          • I just reached new level of being a nerd. I got a hard-on because of someone writing naughy messages about computers in slashdot.

            And you're willing to admit that?

            Make that two new levels of nerd ... one for the woodie, one for telling us about it.

    • re: free speech for malware authors? (Score:5, Insightful)

      by King_TJ ( 85913 ) on Tuesday October 11, 2005 @08:27PM (#13770084) Journal
      What a crappy attitude! You're comment makes you look like an embarassment to I.T. I do get paid good money to clean up spyware/malware problems as part of my job. I do on-site PC service and consulting for a living. But like I tell lots of customers, I'd *much* rather being doing something else for my money. Frankly, it's boring, and sometimes even tedious work. Here you are, on the clock, waiting for several scanners to go through every single file and folder on their hard drives - and in some cases, doing a bunch of manual registry editing and searching too. Hours can easily go by, especially when the customer has a slower computer, and you're just praying the machine doesn't decide to freeze up in the middle of one of these scans, or else you've got to start it over from the beginning again! Meanwhile, you're starting to wonder how you're going to justify billing the person for all this time that's going by - when charging your normal hourly rate is starting to mean charging more than their system is even worth!

      Just as I have no desire to join the mafia and extort money from people, I don't enjoy billing high rates to customers who were victimized by malware when all they're trying to do is struggle by on their 5 or 6 year old PC, reading their email and typing up papers.

      In fact, I've often ended up trying to "do the right thing" and only charging them a more reasonable price, which meant I got seriously short-changed for my time spent. But I guess I just can't stomach the idea of taking some retired lady's entire pension for the month just because some asshat like 180 Solutions tossed their crap-ware on her computer when she thought she was just downloading a pretty waterfall screen saver or something.

      • Re: free speech for malware authors? (Score:4, Insightful)

        by RM6f9 ( 825298 ) <rwmurker@yahoo.com> on Tuesday October 11, 2005 @08:39PM (#13770153) Homepage Journal
        Try a KVM switch - thanks to them, it's entirely possible to be cleaning 8 computers at a time - charge each owner 1 hour's labor, lather, rinse, repeat as necessary. Housecalls extra, of course, but with the right scheduling, you can stay as busy as you want, and not feel as much guilt over your charges.
      • What i would like to see i a S###ware scanner / remover with a LINUX runtime
        Think of it you yank the harddrive do the file scan export the registry hive scan that
        do your fixes import the registry hive back. reinstall the harddrive and collect your check (after testing)
        • What i would like to see i a S###ware scanner / remover with a LINUX runtime
          F-prot antivirus for linux gets some stuff, but I don't know if it cleans out the registry entries. I've managed to get rid of some malware (some sort of porndialer) that way with knoppix and a demo version of f-prot.
      • you right an estimate based on your experinece. It can be a 'book' estimate(a set of hours you charge even if you work fewer or more hours. common in the auto industry.) or real hours.
        You give the customer your estimate. If they agree, then you do the job your paid to do.
        Many years ago I worked in the TV repair industry. Same issue. someone brings in a 300 dollar TV and want the Tube replaced. you smile and tell them they can buy a new one for the same price. They agree, you do the work. Of course,75% of th
      • Billy solves his problems by calling up his mom Heather solves her problems with drugs and alcohol Daniel solves his problems with a doctor and the law, But Malcolm has his own way, and it's better than them all.. Malcolm solves his problems with a chainsaw! Malcolm solves his problems with a chainsaw! Malcolm solves his problems with a chainsaw! And he never has the same problem twice! Whether it's a bill or a cheque arriving late, Rancid marble cheese or a steak that's second-rate, Awful TV programs or a
      • [Mopping up Malware]
        Frankly, it's boring, and sometimes even tedious work.

        My neighbor, a very nice older lady, bought a semi-functional computer at a garage sale. I reinstalled Windows and put Ad-Aware, Spybot Search & Destory, Spyware Blaster, AVG and Firefox on it to make sure it didn't get infected. But yah, the time required to scan for malicious software was terrible.

        She wanted to upgrade to something newer, so I sold her a laptop I had that runs Ubuntu Linux. I set it up to look almost i
      • Is it moral or ethical to profit from others peoples misseries?

        I just wiped off a rootkit from my system. There was no removal program that could delete it and it liked to hang out at the MBR of my drive. I reformatted my disk and lost 6 years worth of data. For those who say I should have backed everything up, I will say I can not afford a nice tape drive and a scsi card since its a home system. So I am hosed.

        My rootkit got installed from a video file that used a buffer overflow to install itself. No EULA

      • But like I tell lots of customers, I'd *much* rather being doing something else for my money.

        What is stopping you? Do you have some sort of obligation to charge people to take spyware off of their computers? Why not just get a new job, that you would *much* rather be doing?

        • Well, I happen to *like* doing on-site computer service, and right now, spyware and virus infections are an unfortunate reality of the industry. Many times, I'm not even sure what's wrong with someone's machine until I actually arrive on-site and start looking at it. People just tell you things like "It crashes a lot." or "I can't get my printer to work." and that could be a hundred different problems.

          The reason I point out my dislike of spyware removal jobs to customers is because I want them to be aware
    • Yeah, and all those doctors should stop doing Vaccinations since it cuts into their bottom line.
      • Maybe they'd start being concerned about that if it was a similar issue -- If a lot of people who know goddamn well that they have an infection to spread, are going around spreading it as much as possible, then you can pose that speculation about the doctors. Until then, it doesn't mean shit in this discussion.
    • We can get paid in sex???
    • Digitician? Another horrible portmanteau? No thanks!

    • No, thanks (Score:4, Insightful)

      by Moraelin ( 679338 ) on Wednesday October 12, 2005 @04:43AM (#13771793) Journal
      See, even without going into what's morally wrong with that attitude (it's been said already anyway), it's a piss-poor use of my time anyway.

      1. It's not the job I wanted to do. If I wanted to clean up crap, I'd be a janitor. I'm a programmer. There's a difference. I'd rather spend my time coding or playing a game, than searching through someone's registry for crap

      (The same goes, btw, for crap like "I bought an ancient scanner at a flea market. Can you please make it work?" Then it turns out it's an ancient SCSI model from back in the DOS times, that nowadays the manufacturer doesn't even admit ever having sold.)

      2. How much _do_ you get paid for it anyway? If I were to charge someone, say, my consultant fee for that time (as an arbitrary measure of my time's worth: that's how much I'd get paid at work for that time), chances are they could just buy a new computer, including OS, for that money.

      In practice most people I know get paid some token price, if at all. Even on /. pretty much _the_ standard post about it is along the lines of "yay, I got a pizza for fixing their computer". Or a beer, or a homecooked meal, or whatever. I'm sorry, unless you're a teenager without an allowance or living on a 1-2$ per hour wage in East Elbonia, that doesn't even start to be adequate compensation. Taking a part time job at McDonalds would likely pay more money per hour than that.

      And let's go back to the "if at all" part. What most people seem to want isn't to pay a professional to have their computer serviced, but to mooch some free repairs off a nerd who (in their opinion) had nothing better to do with his time anyway. Asking for money, more often than not won't get you paid, it will just get them offended. (Though on the bright side, sometimes they're offended enough to stop asking for free tech support.)

  • Why threaten anything? (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Evro ( 18923 ) <evandhoffman.gmail@com> on Tuesday October 11, 2005 @08:12PM (#13769986) Homepage Journal
    The story says 180 announced the move after pressure from public interest groups who threatened to file a formal complaint with regulators at the Federal Trade Commission."


    Why bother threatening anything? Why not just file the complaint?

    • Re:Why threaten anything? (Score:1, Insightful)

      by Anonymous Coward
      Why bother threatening anything? Why not just file the complaint?

      ...asks he of infinite resources.

    • Re:Why threaten anything? (Score:5, Interesting)

      by LePrince ( 604021 ) on Tuesday October 11, 2005 @08:22PM (#13770056)
      Because when getting in front of the judge, you can say that you did everything you could outside of the courtroom to prevent this to getting to a courtoom, and failed because the other company refused to comply.

      Otherwise you might end up in court, screaming, then when the defending party comes in, they will say "Oh, that's why I'm here ? Well, yeah, sure, why not, I don't mind, I'll do it". Then you look like a complete asshat who didn't want to resort to something OTHER than the court...

      One of my friend is sueing someone for fraud (2000$) and as the policeman said, "Do everything you can (legally of course) to recover the cash. If talking doesn't work, THEN we'll file in a legal criminal complaint and it'll go to court. Because if you go to court and she simply agrees to pay, you look like the dumbass.

      • Cop says "Do everything you can (legally of course) to recover the cash. If talking doesn't work, THEN we'll file in a legal criminal complaint and it'll go to court. Because if you go to court and she simply agrees to pay, you look like the dumbass.

        A dumbass who has his $2,000.

        The cop said that because the court system is overloaded, nobody gives a crap, and they're hoping you just go away. The theory goes that you'll get worn out doing the "everything you can" bit, and by the time it comes to filing

      • But the complaint would be based on bad acts the offending party has already been doing for years. Even if they stop now, a great deal of damage has already been done to a great many computers. While I see your point, the damage has been done. If someone's stealing money from you, you don't not report it just because they stop stealing, unless maybe they give back everything they stole.
    • Becasue contrary to what the screaming hordes know as the media want you to think, the court is actually the last place to resolve difficulties. Most people perfer to give the person a chance to rectify the issue.

  • Too little... (Score:5, Insightful)

    by redheaded_stepchild ( 629363 ) on Tuesday October 11, 2005 @08:13PM (#13769999)
    ...so horribly, horribly late. Do these impotent bastards actually think this is going to make people *want* to use their software, or are they just trying for some positive PR spin? I can think of a lot of other ways clients have gotten 180Solutions' junk on their machines, and IST was only the most voracious. Let's not forget this has been going on for a few years now, too. Did they never see ISTbar installed on their own machines? That would be kinda funny, now that I think on it.

    • Re:Too little... (Score:5, Insightful)

      by rholliday ( 754515 ) on Tuesday October 11, 2005 @08:52PM (#13770226) Homepage Journal
      It can work. Remember that we're dealing with the general public here. We as technicians know spyware companies' names by heart because we deal with them hand's-on. The end user just knows "it was slow and had popups" and we subsequently "fixed it."

      Example: eAnthology/eAcceleration/Stop Sign, etc. I remember removing tons of their spyware apps. Now they advertise on national television for their Anti-Virus packages, claiming to "make it faster than the day you got it." Did they clean up their act? I have no idea, frankly. But I know people are buying it.
      • The end user just knows "it was slow and had popups" and we subsequently "fixed it."
        Indeed, speaking primarily as an end-user, as opposed to a programmer (because I haven't done a lot of it recently), I'm inclined to say that a lot of end-users have a hard time realizing that there is actually someone who is a "legitimate" company doing this to them. It is theoretically possible that someone would see 180Solutions as actively fighting spyware/adware, as opposed to simply being more passive in its support/
  • An advertiser decides to choose who to distribute their ads through! The cut back looks like it would be minimal. All they're doing is requiring that third parties get permission! There's a million more companies our there that will pay to have their spyware installed using dodgy techniques.

  • Let this company die (Score:4, Insightful)

    by bhav2007 ( 895955 ) <[moc.rr.notsuoh] [ta] [7002vahb]> on Tuesday October 11, 2005 @08:19PM (#13770041)
    Comanies like this make my blood boil. I am planning to be a CS major in college, and I just can't understand how anyone could willingly work to make this kind of product. Have they actually fooled themselves into believing that one of their toolbars is helping people? I couldn't. It flattens me that someone could go on working to create something which is completely useless and harmful. I can only conclude that whoever is working at these companies must either be starvingly desperate for work or just hateful. Maybe that is where bad programmers go when they die. "Welcome to hell, now you will be forced to create spyware for all of eternity! Mwahahahahaha!". Also, why exactly should we care if this company is "turning around"? There are plenty of struggling software companies which haven't infected anyone. It seems pretty much impossible that one of these establishments could ever produce something useful. Do programmers have any kind of vigilante justice? ;)
    • You do raise a point there, I always wondered how spyware *companies* were hiring people to write their crap.

      The most obvious possiblity, I believe, is that they pay script-kiddies or teenagers to write their crap.
    • It's not spyware, it's a feature... saids the company hiring the CS major.

    • Sing it with me: "Money makes the world go round."
    • Have they actually fooled themselves into believing that one of their toolbars is helping people?

      Um, nope! Do spammers really think that the V14GR@ ads are going to appeal to someone? NOPE! There is one reason that they let this type of stuff happen - money

      Most the the spyware crap that's installed has an almost interesting feature, but it's main purpose is to gather information. The most ethical of these just wants to see what websites you visit as well as a number of other metrics; less ethical wi

    • I just can't understand how anyone could willingly work to make this kind of product. Have they actually fooled themselves into believing that one of their toolbars is helping people?

      Alas, even your job, somewhere down the line, is probably hurting someone or something. Very few paying jobs are innocent. Bombs don't build themselves, nor do animals inflict laboratory tests on themselves. It's all about what you, personally, will lower yourself to do for money, and there is no bottom.
    • I was planning to moderate, but then I saw that someone modded this post "Insightful." It seems pretty much impossible that a nerfherder like this could post something insightful. But I'm worried... Is stupidity contagious?
  • What?!? Now my 180Solutions stock will be worthless.

  • Spyware vs. Adware (Score:2, Informative)

    by NcF ( 847200 )
    Ok, lets get one thing straight.
    Spyware = Gets information from your computer that you would not want some random schmuck knowing.
    Adware = Shows an advertisement.
    Malware = Does bad things to your system/configuration.

    This article has successfully misused the term spyware once again. Just because adware often contains spyware, or acts as a gateway and downloads/installs spyware on yoru machine, does not make the adware itself spyware.

    If you are going to use the terms, please use them correctly.

    From the artic
    • I just call them all Malware. That seems pretty accurate to me. I don't care if it only shows ads if it installed itself as a damn driver or hooked the kernel it "Does bad things to your system/configuration."
      • Sorry, with the definitions I was trying to keep it simple as I know that /. doesn't always have the most intelligent of posters. I'll be the first to agree with you on the calling everything malware, as it does damage stuff, including taking away from your time with those stupid pop-up ads.
      • Thank you, yes it's all Malware and the creators should all be tied to trees upside down and fed exlax for a month. Then they will be covered in what they are trying to dump on us.
    • I think that the article is trying to say that its purpose is primarily to serve ads (ad-serving software), but it also gets information from the computer so many people label it spyware. I don't see why adware can't also be called spyware if the name also fits.
    • I think slowing your computer down so much that it takes 5 minutes to open your web browser constitutes "Does bad things to your system/configuration"

      Like the sibling post says, they're all malware.
    • From the article: ad-serving software (labeled by some as "spyware")

      Erm, that's entirely accurate. Lots of people call anything of the sort spyware, even if all it does is display ads. That's linguistic shift for you.

      • Erm, that's entirely accurate. Lots of people call anything of the sort spyware, even if all it does is display ads. That's linguistic shift for you.

        A linguistic shift it may be, and probably not intentional at all, but rather the results of ignorance. That is not to say that linguistic shift is a good thing, however. In many cases, such shifts can be detrimental to downright nasty.

        One of recent note that has been railed upon endlessly here and elsewhere has been the shift/mixing of the terms "cracker" ver


  • Are we talking here about the same 180 solutions that would never install spyware using the holes of internet explorer [benedelman.org]?

  • I knew a guy... (Score:2, Interesting)

    by Anonymous Coward
    ...who works for 180solutions. Well, I didn't really know him until I flamed him on full-disclosure for working for 180solutions, but that's beside the point. This guy was totally for 180solutions! I could hardly believe my ears... er.. eyes! I reminded him of the incident where 180solutions was using browser flaws to install adware on victims' machines [grok.org.uk], yet he had "no recollection of any such event" (even though it was all over the internet and widely discussed on security mailing lists). The nerve of some

  • makes sense now (Score:4, Informative)

    by fearanddread ( 836731 ) on Tuesday October 11, 2005 @09:01PM (#13770268)
    Makes more sense when you see the update at the bottom of the article:

    "UPDATE, 5:44 p.m. ET: Spyware researcher Eric Howes points out that it is perhaps clearer to say that 180 will no longer allow third parties to install its software unless the method of install is first approved by 180. More specifically, the company will no longer let third-parties install its software via "ActiveX," a component included in Internet Explorer that spyware purveyors commonly abuse to install their wares with little or no interaction on the part of the user."

  • Wait.... (Score:2, Funny)

    by emrysk ( 787256 )
    180 solutions to cut back on spyware? Isn't that a little excessive?

  • summary wrong (Score:1, Redundant)

    by minus_273 ( 174041 )
    The submitter didn't read the article or misunderstood it. If you read TFA you see tht they ar still allowing spyware installs.

    "
    it is perhaps clearer to say that 180 will no longer allow third parties to install its software unless the method of install is first approved by 180. More specifically, the company will no longer let third-parties install its software via "ActiveX," a component included in Internet Explorer that spyware purveyors commonly abuse to install their wares with little or no int

  • Isn't this rather like... (Score:4, Funny)

    by sanx ( 696287 ) on Tuesday October 11, 2005 @09:15PM (#13770343) Homepage
    180 Solutions to cut down on spyware installs

    Isn't this rather like promising you'll only beat your wife once a week from now on?

  • Since users know who they are, I'm sure they'll just change their name and go right on doing what they used to do. See Gator -> Claria or School of the Americas -> WHINSEC.
  • of their own popups?

  • Thanks to 180 Solutions (Score:2, Insightful)

    by svunt ( 916464 )
    Everything I know about keeping a computer clean I learned after these evil bastards infected me. However, this is NOT worth slashdotting, any more than Bill Gates donating money to the Salvation Army is. 180's software is still malicious, insidious garbage, regardless of how they spring it on unsuspecting innocents. Big fucking deal, really.

  • I can't believe I'm the first to say this... (Score:2, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward
    But does this mean 180 Solutions is pulling a 180? ::ducks::

  • Who is 180 Solutions? (Score:3, Funny)

    by joelsanda ( 619660 ) on Wednesday October 12, 2005 @12:30AM (#13771089) Homepage
    MacOS users are dyin' to know ;-)
  • Lawyers in Illinois filed a class action lawsuit against 180 last month. Check out the article at ZDnet
    http://blogs.zdnet.com/Spyware/?p=655

    Now we just need the same thing to happen in 49 other states, the legal fees alone should bankrupt the company! Just make sure it stays separate suits and is not allowed to merge into one big one.
  • "180Solutions's move comes after the Center for Democracy & Technology, a public interest group based in Washington, D.C., threatened to file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission over 180's business practices."
    So, all that one has to do is THREATEN a complaint to get something done about intrusive and abusive software? Please complain anyway, speaking on behalf of everyone I know, we don't like their business practices!

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