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OpenDNS Says Google-Dell Browser Tool is Spyware
PetManimal writes "David Ulevitch, the founder of OpenDNS, claims that Google and Dell have placed 'spyware' on Dell computers. Ulevitch made the claim based on his observation of the behavior of the Google Toolbar and homepage that comes preinstalled on IE in new Dell machines. He says that a browser redirector sends users who enter nonexistent URLs to a Dell-branded page loaded with Google ads. Another observer, Danny Sullivan, says that this is a different result than what happens on PCs without the redirector. However, the original article notes that Ulevitch has a vested interest in the results of mistyped URLs."
Now I work for a fortune 500 company and guess what we do with every box we get from Dell? Re-image it.
Now, for the 99% other Dell customers, this is just purely unfortunate because I'm not so naive to expect everyone to know how or why they should take the above actions. I hope that all the virus scanning apps (HiJackThis, Lavasoft's Adaware, etc) get this thing because Adaware is about the most useful thing I can show my family how to use frequently enough to keep the computer protected.
This sounds a lot like something the old Gateways would do. Huh, I never would have thought Dell would reach that level but, well, here we are. The important thing is to factor this in when you're thinking about a new computer. Hopefully some competition will spring up for Dell and, you know, quality of the software (not just the hardware) will start to matter for Dell.
My work here is dung.
This seems like junk that Dell have installed to make some cash one the side. If firefox bundled the same dns hijacker then who would you blame? Firefox or google?
Just because google make the tool doesn't mean its their fault that it is installed by default in a spywareish fashion.
The issue here is that Google / Dell beat OpenDNS to the punch. Both accomplish the same purpose: when a user types a malformed URL into the address bar, they get an "enhanced" experience.
OpenDNS is bummed that Google figured out a way to make money off the proposition. OpenDNS should have thought of that first.
To Copy from One is Plagiarism; To Copy from Many is Research.
Dell is "monetizing" mistyped URL traffic, like OpenDNS. The customer has a choice which DNS server he uses and which preinstalled software he gets with a new computer (by choosing different vendors). Both do the same, for the same purpose. If I had to choose between the two, I'd choose Dell. At least they don't fly under a false flag, like OpenDNS, which only claims to be Open for marketing purposes.
"Browser Address Error Redirector"
yea do you HONESTLY think that you average Joe user would uninstall a program with such a scary name? thats if they even understand 1 of the 4 words in that name!
The fact that it sends you to a custom page if you make a URL typo does not mean it is spyware. That's a visible change, and you would be hard-pressed not to notice the effects of the software, or the fact that it sends you to a Dell branded page.
Since Dell ships it to you that way, you have no meaningful opportunity to establish an expectation that the Dell system behave differently. I.E. Since the software "comes that way" for you, it's not as if the software made a change to your computer without your permission.
So not only is it not spyware, it's not malware, or software that secretly modified your system without authorization (because, you see, your system came that way in the first place).
Some may say that was coincidence. Well here's the creepy part:
Take the number of days Google have public (2321), multiply by the number of Chinese people imprisoned thanks to Google (7), multiply by the number of web pages that Google indexes (11,029,291,583), divide by Nostradamus' number that he foretold would mark the beginning of the end (10,392), and round to the nearest 6 (6 as in 666). Now simply base64 encode the number, and you get DLOeVFT0501l==, rearrange the letters and you get "D0LOTSOFeV1l".
// MD_Update(&m,buf,j);