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New York Attorney General Sues Spyware Company
DevanJedi writes "Reuters is reporting that New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer has sued alleged spyware company Direct Revenue, charging the Internet marketer with secretly installing millions of spyware programs that sent unsolicited advertisements to users' computers. Direct Revenue settled a class action law suit last month in Illinois."
Spitzer really REALLY wants to run New York State, so he's been suing everyone the last few years. He's the one that nailed AOL for not letting customers cancel their accounts.
Doesn't bother me much. All the suits he launches appear to come from complaints to his office, so he's "working for the people" as much as he's in business for himself. Plus, he's suing people that I have issues with myself: spyware companies, AOL, the RIAA.
I just might be pushing the button under Mr. Spitzer's name when it comes election time. Hopefully all he's after isn't just the bigger office in Albany.
Ignore the rantings above. Poster is an idiot.
Can you already see the defense? "But it's in the EULA!" is what will be said. You agreed to about a billion pages of legalese, of course after reading it.
As long as such EULAs can be used as an excuse to claim the user waived all rights and allowed the company to do whatever they please, hidden in a text nobody but a lawyer can decypher, we'll have buggy software, spyware and, as we've recently seen, even rootkits in our soft. Sure, EULAs don't hold a drop of water in most countries, but it already starts at the problem that most people don't even KNOW that the software they're about to install is going to cause a problem to them.
And as long as such shady practices don't have to be told in simple terms that can be understood by normal people who didn't study CS or law, this practice will continue. Whether or not this suit actually gets through.
He might be fined a few million bucks. Ok. Pocket change for the average spam king. As long as the revenue from illegal activities outmatch the possible damage charges (see also Sony's rootkit and the "settlement"), it won't stop them from bugging their users' computers.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
> Direct Revenue settled a class action law suit last month in Illinois
Don't let them settle a lawsuit! Make the assholes release software to de-install itself, safely and completely.
Son of a bitch, I had to re-stage my wife's laptop because of Winfixer.
(-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
IANAL, but as far as I knew, the privilege against self-incrimination does not apply to corporations or other collective entities. And, after some brief research, appears to have been upheld in Braswell v. United States.
I'd like to see it made illegal for software to resist an uninstall (e.g. reinstalling itself on the next reboot). Seriously, if you want it gone and it's your machine who the hell do they think they are to stop you?
Shh.
I write this reply from a Linux box. What do I do for a living? I own a PC shop. A huge amount of what I do is removing spyware from computers. I don't think this is Windows fault. The people that bring the PCs in many times admit to what they did, saying they didn't care and just clicked yes to make it all go away. These same people would type their password and hit OK just to make it "go away" on a Mac or in a Linux GUI, too.
/. is extreme.
I run Linux because I want to and enjoy it, not because I'm on some anti-MS agenda. I sell mostly Windows machines. Most of my clients couldn't handle a Linux machine, but the anti-MS proganda on
I guess we must both be new here.
rm -rf