Slashdot Mirror
Who Invests in Spyware Companies?
NW writes "Ben Edelman just published a list of major investors in spyware companies totaling over $139 million in venture capital." Slashdot has not verified Edelman's information, and please note that harassing the receptionist at these places is unlikely to cause any change in their investment policies.
It doesn't really go into who actually advertises on spyware or which networks supply the ads.
I wonder who invests in Weatherbug, the notorious spyware company that spams message boards saying "we are not spyware" ? (They have yet to install spyware that says "we do not spam").
Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
as my list of companies to boycott.
GETPKG - Package Management for Slackware
MI5, FBI, CIA, the usual dated TLA arm's of the illuminati
As to "Slashdot has not verified...": I've cited sources for each report of funding of each specified spyware company. See the links within my page -- just click on the "$40 million" and similar hyperlinks to see the source (news coverage, press release) reporting that funding.
Ah well that's not surprising, I was hoping to see some hidden players. A call to these people's secretary definitely wouldn't do any good. It would probably just result in more telemarketing offers.
Reads like a hit list.
I give it ten minutes for the DDOS to start.
Does Slashdot ever verify the information it links to? As if we need the disclaimer.
RTFA..
And jee, who would of though,
Claria / Gator (GAIN)..
sounds like a job for DoJ in regards to a monopoly.
You have 5 Moderator Points!
Which Helpless Linux zealot/MS basher do you want to mod down today?
Remeber that "investors" are the owners. They can hide behind corporations, but the owners are responsible for the actions of their companies, even if they're not legally accountable.
--
make install -not war
I have on hand lots of information about advertisers supporting these companies. One complication is that some of the advertisers are unintentional participants -- e.g. the ads were placed by affiliates, apparently often acting without authorization by the underlying merchants. Often, the link format makes it possible to tell the difference between an affiliate's ad and an "official" ad.
As to Gator advertisers: See Gator advertisers as of 2003 and Gator advertisers based on data from Claria's S-1 disclosure.
In any event, I'll be updating my site with more advertiser information in the future. It's at the top of my list of priorities.
When the Editors verify it, they link the story as a duplicate post.
And by the way forward-looking companies invest in parallel incremental options for years and at base level, this just comes down to facilitating third-generation processing.
My company has been giving millions of dollars to a company in Redmond Washington and some of that cash is being redirected to support a malware product known only as "Internet Explorer."
-dynamo
Aren't anonymour remailers reserved for letters from secret admirers?
Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
"please note that harassing the receptionist at these places is unlikely to cause any change in their investment policies"
No, but harrassing the *board* members might. That's why I love the SEC's EDGAR search. Names, and in name cases, phone numbers, for company board members.
Ed R.Zahurak
You know, oblivion keeps looking better every day.
They talk about going after spammers, but maybe what they need to do is go after these companies that invest in them.
.02
If the spammers didn't have these companies funding them, then I dare say they wouldn't last very long.
just
"Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy - Benjamin Franklin"
I kind of doubt the cost of installing a spam filter or using a service like Spamshark will sway them one way or another.
Bill Clinton: Pimp we can believe in. - The Shirt!!!
Just glanced through, but did any notice any slightly legit companys the firms also invest in? Granted a call to thier PBX wouldn't do much, but a nice movment to stop support the legit companies might get thier attention.
"please note that harassing the receptionist at these places is unlikely to cause any change in their investment policies."
Don't know about that. Harassing us on an inhuman scale appears to be working for them. Frankly, harassing them back, within the limits of the law of course, probably would be quite helpful. Many lobbysts and activists do far more about much less, and achieve considerable success.
Tired of Political Trolls? Opt Out!
If it really was not spyware, they would not feel a need to spam message boards to say it.
Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
The table above lists software companies meeting two criteria:
1) I consider their products spyware, [yadda, yadda, llama, llama, duck]
2) They have received major financial investments.
Is that, they meet both? And are they receiving investments from the spyware companies, or for the spyware itself from non-spyware companies?
Just a question, not a dig or anything.
~~Every few years or so I'm accidentally fashionable!
Spies, who else? Duh - they have to get their wares someplace.
Where is Q at when you need him? They can put a laser, saw, and cabling system in a watch but they can't put together a system to organize info on terrorists. Q could do it and make it look good.
Evolution or ID?
Spamming the secretaries may not change their investment policies? Might as well try, eh?
Against stupidity the Gods themselves contend in vain.
Note the last word of criteria 1, following the semicolon: "and"
Programs must meet both criteria to be listed. I do not report companies that receive major funding but do not collect sensitive information or install without proper notice and consent. And I do not report companies that collect sensitive information and install without proper notice and consent, but have received no major funding (per publicly-available sources).
Weatherbug is very different from Adaware. In fact, Adaware from lavasoft.de is a program which has identified Weatherbug as spyware. While Adaware is not perfect, i don't find it to be annoying. Adaware is not to be confused with Ada software.
Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
The only way spyware/adware is going to be stopped is when the financial incentive is removed. Someone out there is making a lot of money with spyware. Having a list of investors is just the beginning of the list of people to sue and/or throw in jail. It's going to take some time, but my phone is definitely ringing less since the do not call list went into effect with its hefty fines and penalties. I would guess that the conservative family values anti-porn groups will be all over this soon in an unholy alliance with those...those...liberals!
To the making of books there is no end, so let's get started
I've read and used Ben's research for other projects, especially his domain name data and it's always accurate. No reason to doubt him this time unless you can find definitive contradictions. He is friendly has always responded to email if it's on topic. Nice to see his work get some attention here.
And as if it weren't fairly obvious these days, many "spyware removal" companies are also likely to be partners with these spyware companies.
There was a particularly nasty adware on my brother's PC once, and during my time trying to see where it came from, I happened to click on one of the ads, which boasted to help you "get rid of spyware and adware". The ad took me to a generic "search engine" page, filled with spyware/adware "removal" programs.
But did I see things like Ad-Aware or Spybot listed? Why hell no. I saw a bunch of removal programs which I had never ever heard of in my life. And yes, they cost money.
So answer me this; why would a piece of adware give you an advertisement on how to remove adware, unless the companies that sell you the removal software are in on it too?
And you know that the companies know they're showing up on these adware "search engines", because there are referrer ID's in the urls. After confronting a company about it with my brother's infested PC, they of course pretended to know nothing about it. I find it very hard to believe that they could have a referrer ID from an adware search engine, and it be total coincidence.
So yes, I'm 100% convinced that many adware companies are allied with adware removal ones, if they aren't in fact one in the same many times. Just think of how many people actually end up clicking those ads and buying that software, just because they don't know any better.
Since adware companies are basically virus writers, with ads as their payloads, we can only hope that more laws will start to pop up to nip it in the bud. But in the meantime, perhaps Ad-Aware or Spybot can strike up some deal with vendors (if they haven't already) to include their software with machines. At least until Microsoft's adware removal tool starts shipping with Windows.
58K for Gator, the venture capitalists must be bonkers.
Philip
Signatures are broken
Wouldn't the software that real spies use be called spyware?
Are they offended at the usurping of the spyware moniker by other, less wholesome individuals?
Are these same venture capital companies also investing in spyware removal companies?
Just wondering.
>> VC mission is to generate money for their shareholders
May their PCs be flooed with the shit they have invested in.
I'm under the impression that this is exactly what venture capital is all about. I've had good friends look for VC in starting up engineering firms and the answers from potential investors have been, "outsource the engineering to Asia and beef up your marketing and business development." Of course there is much talent in the art of marketing and business development, but selling thin air seems to be the most profitable of anything.
Some time ago there was mention on Slashdot about adware/spyware/malware exploiting security holes as a means of installing itself and other software without a users approval or knowledge.
Now that's a pretty hefty claim and while I have little trouble believing it, I'd like to see positive confirmation of that claim. What I mean to say is that perhaps someone out there with the skills could should at least one example by disassembling some of this malware to show us all exactly what exploits are being used, when, where and how. It would be nice to see evidence that cannot be denied or spun away.
I think if it can be shown that they are indeed actively exploiting security holes and are not operating ethically as they all claim to be, then the U.S. Federal Trade Commission might be able to step in and take measures to rectify the situation. I don't think we need more laws even if they would actually serve to benefit the public a little better. I think if we can show they are intruding onto computers without permission, there are already laws against that -- both civil and criminal.
Does it come as a surprise that our business class would be interested in forcing software onto people they "have" to run so that they can collect information and enrich themselves?
Does it come as a surprise that our business class generally believes that a removing consumer choice and privacy are a good thing?
I'm kind of waiting for a significant investigative peice in the media spyware, spam and its relationship with more "traditional" businesses whose only real motivation for staying out of that space is their reputation.
Why not have Slashdotters send real informed email from real email accounts. I for one have no problem telling these VC groups what I think of their investments in spyware AND SIGNING MY NAME TO IT.
Those who can do. Those who can't sue.
Probably a typo, but that $58 MILLION(!), not 58K.
Hey, Windows users, there is no such thing as "forward" slash, there is only slash and backslash.
Every time I convince myself I'm as cynical as I can be, something like this pops up, and I realize I'm still my old naive self.
I had assumed these companies were just handfuls of unethical developers. I can't believe VC firms are putting 10s of millions of dollars into these outfits.
That was a wakeup call.
I think that Michael Moore should make a movie, by approaching these companies managers, like he did with Roger and Me. It might make a nice expose for all of those that have unknowingly clicked on one of these so called ads.
My Journal.
So they change the secretary's extension, route the old one to an immediate voicemail, and that's it.
It doesn't take that long to do.
You would be far better off sending a written letter to the company and/or its board of directors. Of course, one could always contact that company's ISP... O:-)
OCO is Loco
Same bit. I wouldn't be suprized to find some of these VC's are not just VC's, but sepecifically search out people to put up these little shops. That way, they are protected, as merely being someone who loaned the person money. Get most of the profits, with few of the liabilities.
It would be beautiful to change that - to increase their liability. Like I already said in this post, its like going into a gun store and asking to borrow a gun so you can rob a bank, and promising most of the profits in return. The gun store, if they agreed to that, most certainly should be held liable.
I'm sorry, but if a company out-sources their advertising to someone who uses Spyware, I still won't buy their products.
It's up the company to ensure that their advertising partners are behaving responsibly, no one else!
I recently made a video showing spyware installed through security holes.
My records (packet sniffer logs, etc.) do tell me what specific exploits were used, though my public write-up doesn't include all these details. In any event, the video is certainly sufficient to validate the "hefty claim" of software installed through security holes.
I wouldn't use that article to try to convince mom. Bill Gates gave into AOL demands that WeatherBug isn't spyware!
please note that harassing the receptionist at these places is unlikely to cause any change in their investment policies
Of course it's pointless to be rude or demand that she personally withdraw company's investments. But you can certainly politely explain that you are a victim of their client's illegal activities and ask to contact one of the partners who has influence in decision making.
You will not get through, but the company's management will eventually know that people keep calling and complaining about Claria. The last thing an investment company wants is a client entangled in a class action lawsuit or government investigation.
Then again, you might be surprised. Michael Moore convinced Kmart to stop selling bullets just by talking to them - granted he brought columbine victims along. Maybe some companies don't wish to invest in scum and will turn away once the reality is fully explained to them.
Adware (like weatherbug) has just as much reason as spy/malware to install itself never to be uninstalled. This is an important point that isn't being made enough, which is that adware is damn near as bad as spyware. The distinction lets weatherbug off the hook by claiming, probably correctly, that they aren't spyware.
I think we need a new term to describe software - of any ilk - that refuses to uninstall, or reinstalls itself, or penetrates so much of your OS that you can't uninstall it. I nominate either "cancerware" or "kudzuware" (after that lovely plant that now covers most of the US South, and is impossible to eradicate).
-Looking for a job as a materials chemist or multivariat
Uhh, the receptionist answers the main incoming line, you can't just change that or route it to voicemail.
Say goodbye to the days of the Commodore 64, school yard dodge ball, pay phone phreaking, "Good" MTV videos and hilarious saturday morning cartoons.
and say hello to...
big businesses, corporate scandals, small government, useless gadgets, retarted cell phone ringers, oversized SUVs, overly protective parents, obnoxious sports figures, obese children, school shootings, cyber bullies, horrible music, sucky movies, reality tv, media fear tactics, prescription drug commercials, low salaries, high insurance premiums, high oil prices, job offshoring and of course, my all-time personal favorite, ANNOYING ELECTRONIC ADVERTISEMENT!!!!!!!!!
*God Bless America*
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Slashdot? Verify? Could this be the start of a new policy of accurate and responsible reporting at Slashdot? Maybe the CBS Report put things in perspective for them.
Slashdot: Playing Favorites Since 1997
If you're a firefox user, there's an extension called "forecastfox" (formerly weatherfox), here.
There is another kind of evil which we must fear most, and that is the indifference of good men. -- Boondock Saints
You can also download the ForecastFox plugin for Firefox.
It's the battle of the minds, and everyone's unarmed.
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Comment removed based on user account deletion
I really suspect that the ongoing money behind a lot of these companies are advertisers themselves. What about Dell UK on WhenU, for instance?
If Nalgene water bottles are outlawed, only outlaws will have Nalgene water bottles.
Mother Jones? The Nation? On the mainstreem side, perhaps the Atlantic Monthly or the New Yorker, although the latter doesn't do that much in-depth investigative journalism.
All cynacism aside, even the Wall Street Journal is known for occasionally biting the hand that feeds it.
And you have to give some credit to journalists and editors; at some of the major newsweeklies and national papers, they don't have a problem with pissing off big money and take the "firewall" between the editorial side and the business side seriously.
Plus this is one of the populist issues that really pisses people off.
But more generally I will cede to you the idea that corporate ownership of the media generally means weak coverage of corporate America when there's any at all.
It is bad form and poor practice to harass the receptionist anywhere. Usually this person is underpaid and without any say in company policy. The main power receptionists have is over whether you get into the place you're trying to get into (whether it's physically or by phone). Treat them nicely, and you're more likely to get them to grant you the access you request.
"Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past." -- George Orwell
Not that I'm recommending it, but harrassing the receptionist will get noted and probably discussed by the partners.
"I'd rather be a lightning rod than a seismometer." -Ken Kesey
In this modern day set-up, they have all of these, "If you wish to speak to X, please press N now," menus when you dial in.
That's the set-up I'm referring to. They just change the destination of the call, then give the person in question a new extension, and hide it in the system.
OCO is Loco
We should really start keeping a list of companies, and products shown in adware, and those benefiting from the resarch in spyware.
Make people who use these techniques "labeled".
Problem is, most people don't even know who these companies are. If you advertise in adware... or you use spyware for marketing research...
your name should be on a virtual billboard.
Want to take them down? Make sure they don't benefit from spyware.
In the wake of the 2004 U.S. presidential election, a number of disgruntled lefties compiled a list of corporations and their financial contributions to either the Republicans or Democrats. http://buyblue.org/. Stores like Amazon.com contributed 60% of their funds to Republicans, and 40% to Democrats, for example, while Barnes and Noble donated 100% to Democrats. /.) are far more likely to buy something from B&N than 180solutions or eXact Advertising. So while this list is sort of a nice novelty, it doesn't have the same potential for activism.
The theoretical point, if there is indeed any, to both of these lists is to educate consumers so that they can make informed decisions. Citizens who adhere to one political ideology can tailor their buying habits accordingly.
But buyblue.org's list, at least, were REAL STORES. As in places people were actually likely to buy things from, and therefore ones they could also boycott. The average consumer (even ones on
Maybe it's just me, but spyware is overhyped. I run Adaware on a regular basis and I haven't had any problems in the ten years I've been using the 'net. Pop-ups are annoying, but identity theft is the real threat, and one that can be all but eliminated by running anti-spyware programs. Essentially, the stakes for spyware support are relatively low.
Contrast this with the relative importance of corporations funding the political process. Companies' financial contributions determine the taxes we pay, the services we receive, the attitudes we export, the ideals we defend. So while the list of companies contributing to spyware is kinda nifty, really, who cares?
People don't care what tech companies are on it. People are still gonna support Apple,Palm and Sun no matter what they do. But if Microsoft did the same, people would be up in arms.
Have you ever been to a turkish prison?
I maintain that Capitalism from a micro economic point of view is a description of how people behave.
On a macro level it turns into a set of rules and regulations.
I also think that, for the most part, the system works as well as the people who are really in charge are honest and not just out for themselves, but do their real duty and fulfill the requirements of their offices.
I have the same kind of righteous indignation towards people who foster civil wars, drain chemicals everywhere, rob everyone in sight etc. But, honestly, doesn't this happen in any system regardless of the form of finance?
I believe that you have issues with the way that corporate governance works. However, the controls in place are doing what they are supposed to do. If they were not we would never hear about things such as Enron, Haliburton, or whatever other finance scandal is current in the press. It would all be covered up.
I think that there is a certain element of the super-wealthy who would love to have a return to the days of Fuedalism. In their minds they are still the ruling class. But these people want to do this without any responsibility. And the current system of corporate governance can be considered Corporate Fuedalism.
But in terms of quid pro quo, capitalism works. I give you this, you give me that. Simple.
The matter of corruption in corporate finance is an important concern of anyone who wants accoutability in the way things are run. I had had authored your post I would change the word capitalism in the first sentance to modern corporate finance.
It isn't easy for these people to regulate these complex markets. And for the most part the explosion of technology has resulted from the activities of these markets. It is regretable that they have corruption. And if you have any ideas that can make them better, then I am sure that are people who will listen to you and consider what you say.
If it is put into a wiki, then there will need to be someone who is responsible with verifying the various items. Corporations are notorious litigacious.
Neither will I. But some companies might not actually know that they are advertising in spyware: The ad salesmen for spyware companies are just as deceptive as the programs themselves.
So the best way to make a difference is to tell the companies about the spyware, and to tell them that your (and many others) are boycotting them because of it.
I guess no p2p user has a thing to worry about then. It is quite possible to violate copyright restrictions. However, it is completely impossible to steal using p2p.
Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
from venture capitolists
Damn, they are everywhere!
"The likes of Facebook and WhatsApp are free to those whose privacy is of zero value."
Thanks. I've added those SEC disclosure links to my site.
I'm guessing you were one of those kids who had to walk 10 miles to school, uphill both ways, gnawing on crusts of stale bread before heading off to work the graveyard shift at the coal mine...
Share and rate p
I would like to send you some links to publications about my criminal case. I worked for Mitsubishi Electric Automation in Vernon Hills, IL, USA. My case are getting public attention now as an example of miscarriage of justice. I could not defend myself, because I did not have enough money for computer expert. I was forced to confess for possession of child porn. I got browser hijackers while browsing the web. I was redirected to illigal sites against my will. Some illigal pictures were found on my hard drive only after recovering in unallocated clusters, without dates of files creation/download. I do not know how can courts press widely on people to convict them, while whole Internet is a mess. This is my story in inquisition21.com. There is all information about case written by Irish writer Brian Rothery. http://www.inquisition21.com/article~view~7~page_n um~3.html
This is publication in Wired news
http://www.wired.com/news/infostructure/0,1377,633 91,00.html
This is publication in Theregester
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/05/13/browser_hi jacking_risks/
Article in Globe and Mail newspaper
http://ctv.globetechnology.com/servlet/story/RTGAM .20040617.gttwhijac17/tech/Technology/techBN/ctv-t echnology
Article in ZDnet
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105_2-5344831.html
This is article in Washington Times, May 22, 2004
There is information about my case.
http://www.cato.org/cgi-bin/scripts/printtech.cgi/ dailys/05-30-04.html
Article in Crime research center:
http://www.crime-research.org/news/07.22.2004/506/
Article in Dallas, TX Newspaper
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=13614767 &BRD=1426&PAG=461&dept_id=528214&rfi=6
-
Press Release Source: Technology Investment Capital Corp.
These are the people behind Bargain Buddy, eXact Match, Cash Back, PhotoGizmo, etc.TICC Announces $15 Million Transaction With eXact Advertising, LLC
Monday November 29, 8:00 am ET
GREENWICH, CT--(MARKET WIRE)--Nov 29, 2004 --
Technology Investment Capital Corp. (NasdaqNM:TICC - News) announced today that it has completed a $15 million transaction with eXact Advertising, LLC, an Internet advertising company. TICC's investment consists of $5 million of senior secured notes with warrants and a commitment for an additional $10 million of senior secured notes with warrants upon satisfaction of certain conditions.
About eXact Advertising, LLC
eXact focuses on the delivery of a suite of online solutions that provide highly targeted advertising to customers based on real-time behavior. The company provides its customers with a suite of integrated performance-based marketing solutions. eXact maximizes advertisers' Internet marketing budgets through a robust set of results-driven products and services and accompanying return on investment ("ROI") management tools. More information on eXact Advertising can be found at www.exactadvertising.com.
Great! In addition to Joe Bob and Billy Jack sitting in the back room guzzling beer and sending out porn spam, now we have it becoming insitutionalized by the venture capitalists.
Next thing you know, you'll be forced to accept delivery of it since they'll hire a lobbist to go to Congress and shove that legislation through like the MPAA & RIAA did with the DMCA.
When does it end? The USA needs to make spamming illegal and make it illegal to invest in companies that spam. We should filter traffic at the perimeter and dump the traffic from any country that doesn't have laws against spam.
2 cents,
Queen B
HDGary secures my bank
All told, I bet they have less than 100 people. You don't need much to run an ongoing VC firm beyond the partners and their contacts. A lot of stuff (like legal) is outsourced.
"I'd rather be a lightning rod than a seismometer." -Ken Kesey
1)Install it.
2)Sit back.
3)Take notes.
And dare I suggest... Post it so we can take a peek...