Yahoo! playing both sides of the spyware issue
Mike Healan
June 2, 2004
This article is located at
http://www.spywareinfo.com/articles/...oo_toolbar.php

As many of you no doubt have heard, Yahoo! recently released a new toolbar
which they claim detects and removes spyware. The toolbar uses technology
licensed from Pest Patrol, the vendor of a popular antispyware product.

Unfortunately, it turns out that Yahoo! has decided to set the toolbar to
ignore all so-called "adware". The toolbar forces the user specifically to
set it to seek out adware.

The reason for this decision appears to be the business relationship between
Overture, which is owned entirely by Yahoo!, and the Claria corporation,
which creates and distributes Gator. As it turns out, Yahoo!, through
Overture, provides 31% of Claria's entire annual revenue.

A Yahoo! spokesperson tried to deflect the issue by stating that they use
Pest Patrol's antispyware technology, which itself makes a distinction
between "adware" and "spyware". However, Pest Patrol's software does not
ignore "adware" either by default or as an option. This change was made
entirely by Yahoo!

The spokesperson also tried to portray the decision as one giving choice to
the user. In fact, the user has the choice already when they see the results
list. The user can choose which software to remove and which to leave alone.
Unless, of course, they forget to check the box for adware and then they end
up with no choice at all, in the matter of adware.

Yahoo! is playing both sides of the issue, with users caught in the middle.
Yahoo! could legitimize the activities of such companies as Claria,
WhenU.com, Lop.com and coolwebsearch.com. These are all companies who spend
significant effort trying to portray their software as "adware". In fact,
the practices of all of these companies have come into question numerous
times. In Utah, for instance, Gator and WhenU.com's advertising and
installation practices are illegal.

This is an unfortunate situation. Yahoo! needs to decide whose side they are
on, their users or the parasites. I would encourage all users of this
toolbar to express their opinion to Yahoo!. This is a beta test after all
and they are soliciting opinions from their users. I say we should take them
up on that offer.

Source: Spyware Info newsletter

--

Regards

Steven Burn
Ur I.T. Mate Group
www.it-mate.co.uk

Keeping it FREE!

"Steven Burn" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>

> Yahoo! playing both sides of the spyware issue
> Mike Healan
> June 2, 2004
> This article is located at
> http://www.spywareinfo.com/articles/...oo_toolbar.php
>
> As many of you no doubt have heard, Yahoo! recently released a new toolbar
> which they claim detects and removes spyware. The toolbar uses technology
> licensed from Pest Patrol, the vendor of a popular antispyware product.
>
> Unfortunately, it turns out that Yahoo! has decided to set the toolbar to
> ignore all so-called "adware". The toolbar forces the user specifically to
> set it to seek out adware.
>
> The reason for this decision appears to be the business relationship

between
> Overture, which is owned entirely by Yahoo!, and the Claria corporation,
> which creates and distributes Gator. As it turns out, Yahoo!, through
> Overture, provides 31% of Claria's entire annual revenue.
>
> A Yahoo! spokesperson tried to deflect the issue by stating that they use
> Pest Patrol's antispyware technology, which itself makes a distinction
> between "adware" and "spyware". However, Pest Patrol's software does not
> ignore "adware" either by default or as an option. This change was made
> entirely by Yahoo!
>
> The spokesperson also tried to portray the decision as one giving choice
to
> the user. In fact, the user has the choice already when they see the
results
> list. The user can choose which software to remove and which to leave
alone.
> Unless, of course, they forget to check the box for adware and then they
end
> up with no choice at all, in the matter of adware.
>
> Yahoo! is playing both sides of the issue, with users caught in the
middle.
> Yahoo! could legitimize the activities of such companies as Claria,
> WhenU.com, Lop.com and coolwebsearch.com. These are all companies who
spend
> significant effort trying to portray their software as "adware". In fact,
> the practices of all of these companies have come into question numerous
> times. In Utah, for instance, Gator and WhenU.com's advertising and
> installation practices are illegal.
>
> This is an unfortunate situation. Yahoo! needs to decide whose side they
are
> on, their users or the parasites. I would encourage all users of this
> toolbar to express their opinion to Yahoo!. This is a beta test after all
> and they are soliciting opinions from their users. I say we should take
them
> up on that offer.
>
> Source: Spyware Info newsletter
>

>
> --
>
> Regards
>
> Steven Burn
> Ur I.T. Mate Group
> www.it-mate.co.uk
>
> Keeping it FREE!
>
>
>
>


Now *THAT* is weird. Yahoo spyware toolbar *DID* detect Gator on my system.

"*ProteanThread*" <rtdos hotmail com> wrote in message
news:_NWdnWTBKMZV-SPdRVn-(E-Mail Removed)...
> "Steven Burn" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> >

> > Yahoo! playing both sides of the spyware issue
> > Mike Healan
> > June 2, 2004
> > This article is located at
> > http://www.spywareinfo.com/articles/...oo_toolbar.php
> >
> > As many of you no doubt have heard, Yahoo! recently released a new

toolbar
> > which they claim detects and removes spyware. The toolbar uses
technology
> > licensed from Pest Patrol, the vendor of a popular antispyware
product.
> >
> > Unfortunately, it turns out that Yahoo! has decided to set the
toolbar to
> > ignore all so-called "adware". The toolbar forces the user
specifically to
> > set it to seek out adware.
> >
> > The reason for this decision appears to be the business relationship
> between
> > Overture, which is owned entirely by Yahoo!, and the Claria
corporation,
> > which creates and distributes Gator. As it turns out, Yahoo!,
through
> > Overture, provides 31% of Claria's entire annual revenue.
> >
> > A Yahoo! spokesperson tried to deflect the issue by stating that
they use
> > Pest Patrol's antispyware technology, which itself makes a
distinction
> > between "adware" and "spyware". However, Pest Patrol's software does
not
> > ignore "adware" either by default or as an option. This change was
made
> > entirely by Yahoo!
> >
> > The spokesperson also tried to portray the decision as one giving
choice
> to
> > the user. In fact, the user has the choice already when they see the
> results
> > list. The user can choose which software to remove and which to
leave
> alone.
> > Unless, of course, they forget to check the box for adware and then
they
> end
> > up with no choice at all, in the matter of adware.
> >
> > Yahoo! is playing both sides of the issue, with users caught in the
> middle.
> > Yahoo! could legitimize the activities of such companies as Claria,
> > WhenU.com, Lop.com and coolwebsearch.com. These are all companies
who
> spend
> > significant effort trying to portray their software as "adware". In
fact,
> > the practices of all of these companies have come into question
numerous
> > times. In Utah, for instance, Gator and WhenU.com's advertising and
> > installation practices are illegal.
> >
> > This is an unfortunate situation. Yahoo! needs to decide whose side
they
> are
> > on, their users or the parasites. I would encourage all users of
this
> > toolbar to express their opinion to Yahoo!. This is a beta test
after all
> > and they are soliciting opinions from their users. I say we should
take
> them
> > up on that offer.
> >
> > Source: Spyware Info newsletter
> >

> >
> > --
> >
> > Regards
> >
> > Steven Burn
> > Ur I.T. Mate Group
> > www.it-mate.co.uk
> >
> > Keeping it FREE!
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
>
> Now *THAT* is weird. Yahoo spyware toolbar *DID* detect Gator on my
system.

More than likely it didn't see Gator on your hard disk so it reported it
as being there, then installed, leaving you to think it was getting rid
of it.
>
>

On Wed, 2 Jun 2004 17:37:44 -0600, "*ProteanThread*" <rtdos hotmail com>
wrote:

>Now *THAT* is weird. Yahoo spyware toolbar *DID* detect Gator on my system.

Gator is one of Yahoo's competitors. This is a good way for Yahoo to
squash its competition.

Bob

Remove "kins" to reply by e-mail.

"Bob Adkins" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> Gator is one of Yahoo's competitors. This is a good way for Yahoo to
> squash its competition.

Errr..... apparently they aren't competitors

"The reason for this decision appears to be the business relationship
between Overture, which is owned entirely by Yahoo!, and the Claria
corporation, which creates and distributes Gator. As it turns out, Yahoo!,
through Overture, provides 31% of Claria's entire annual revenue."

--

Regards

Steven Burn
Ur I.T. Mate Group
www.it-mate.co.uk

Keeping it FREE!

Is their a Gator-toolbar available yet ?


--
b l o n e d

Thanks for the headsup, Steve.

Enough people squawk and Yahoo will have to do whats best for their
customers, which is in Yahoo's best interest, if they would just look past
their own noses.