Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

FTC Shuts Down Pop-Up Extortion Firm

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the thats-just-crazy dept.

An anonymous reader writes "The FTC has shut down D Squared, a company that's been spamming via the Windows Messenger Pop-Up Service. In some cases, ads would pop-up every 10 minutes, and only advertised a $30 product that disabled similar pop-up ads. The FTC is slamming the extortion gauntlet on them. Interestingly, the FTC only caught onto all this because one of their own commissioners was among those getting spammed."

6 of 472 comments (clear)

  1. 2 billion.. hmmm by nyet · · Score: 4, Funny

    "On its Web site, the firm said the software could beam 135,000 pop-up ads at consumers every hour, and claimed to have a database of over two billion Internet addresses, according to the FTC."

    2^32, minus subnets and netmasks, minus 10, 127, 192.168, etc...

  2. Okay... by Saint+Aardvark · · Score: 4, Funny
    "But the firm now says Windows Messenger probably isn't necessary for home users, and future versions of its Windows software will come with the service turned off."

    I gotta know. Who ported cluestick to Windows? :-)

    --
    Carousel is a lie!
  3. Re:one of their own commissioners... by tomhudson · · Score: 4, Funny

    Yep, so much for government of the people, by the people, for the people. It's only when their self-interest gets nicked that they move their lardarses. Lets hope some of them lose money on $CO..

  4. Re:Thats what we get for tolerating advertisements by jazman_777 · · Score: 4, Funny
    What exactly is the difference?

    Billboards are not a violation of anyone's property rights. They may be an aesthetic offense, but that is what life in the USA is all about these days, is it not? Looking like a slob is one of our fundamental rights.

    --
    Slashdot: Failed Car Analogies. Amateur Lawyering. Anecdote Battles.
  5. My Favorite part... by ePhil_One · · Score: 4, Funny
    On its Web site, the firm said the software could beam 135,000 pop-up ads at consumers every hour, and claimed to have a database of over two billion Internet addresses, according to the FTC

    If any wants, I can sell them a copy of that database for just $25,000. A brief sample to show I have the goods:

    192.168.0.1
    192.168.0.2
    192.168.0.3
    192.168.0.4

    --
    You are in a maze of twisted little posts, all alike.
    1. Re:My Favorite part... by (H)elix1 · · Score: 4, Funny

      If any wants, I can sell them a copy of that database for just $25,000. A brief sample to show I have the goods:

      192.168.0.1
      192.168.0.2
      192.168.0.3
      192.168.0 .4

      {Dark Helmet voice}
      192.168.0.1-2-3-4-5 -- what a coincidence, I have that combination on my network.
      {/Dark Helmet voice}

      --
      +++ UGUCAUCGUAUUUCU