Slashdot Mirror
Digsby IM Client Quietly Installs Badware
An anonymous reader writes "IM company Digsby has quietly included malware in an update to their client software that utilizes users' computing power and bandwidth while idle for a quick buck. When questioned, developers at Digsby claim that they have done no wrong and that users should not complain because the client software is 'free.'" The money-making distributed computing software is in addition to six "crapware" apps that users must refuse during installation. The terms of service that no one ever reads does describe the CPU- and bandwidth-robbing moneymaker, and its off switch is located behind the "Support Digsby" menu item.
From the article:
Summary: Stick with Open Source
The only way you are definitely going to avoid greedy software developers exploiting you is to stick with open source, make sure to donate to your favorite open source projects, and stop installing software with bundled crapware.
Did we already forget that Ubuntu also installed such and without consent (and Linux Mint) - here you atleast have the change to disallow installing it.
There has been countless numbers of open source projects that also do this. Just because it's open source it doesn't mean you're safe from such tactics - it just means the source is open. You can check the source and remove those parts, but not many of us do so.
This is actually more the nuisance of free software. If you've paid for your software, you can usually except that they wont fuck you over with that crap. It's more like the price you pay for using free ad supported software, because if they develop it professionally they also have to get the money somewhere.
And also from the article Digsby's response:
Update: Disgsby responds, saying they're pushing out a new build today with more transparency about the research module.
I think this is a great idea. Make it transparent and let all their users know whats going on (Didsby did a great job with this and their alert system is simple enough for anybody to notice). I don't expect a company to just GIVE me software, if they don't want. They have to pay their developers, so they need revenue. I would MUCH rather have my free apps supported by use of my unused processing power than by ads (which I imagine will be harder and harder to pull revenue from in the future).
As long as it's transparent this seems like a good idea.
Steal my band's record! Seriously,
Is in the dictionary next to the meaning of "IS"
Loading...
Yes, it does mean that if your program does something evil, someone else is free to modify the code so that it doesn't do that and redistribute it. However that requires that someone who cares notices, and then takes the time to do so. Not always the case. Also, when it comes to installers, you don't need the source. If an app is bundling crapware in the installer, you could very well grab it, and make a new install package that doesn't have the crapware. The only time you need source is if the app itself has crapware functionality in it.
As for an example of OSS bundling crapware, have a look at PDF creator. It's a great free alternative to the Adobe distiller. However, it does try to install the Yahoo toolbar, as so many things do these days. Now the Yahoo toolbar is tame on the crapware scale, but I'd say it still counts, especially since they try to sneak it in with every app they can.
Ok well nothing is stopping me from grabbing the source and making a new distro of PDF creator... But I haven't, and I'm not going to. I just don't care enough. Seems nobody else does either.
So really, OSS isn't going to save you. Ultimately, you just have to use companies that don't do shit like this, and out companies that do. Public pressure (and public knowledge) is the only real way to deal with it.