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Although adware makers say there are legitimate uses for their programs, an entire anti-spyware market has been spawned to combat the often unwanted downloads. Microsoft, for example, is building spyware protection into Vista, the next version of its dominant Windows operating system.
Truste head Maier said that companies such as 180Solutions, which has been working to clean up its reputation as an adware pusher, might be successful in a bid. "Ultimately we may certify some of the names that have been tarnished, but not without many of them making significant changes first," Maier said.
Protecting consumers is one goal of the Trusted Download Program. The other is to protect online advertisers who may not want their promotions served up by adware, the program's backers said. "This will kill your brand faster than anything," said Margo Hammar, the chief privacy officer at communications giant Verizon.
The adware flow
AOL and Yahoo, which both advertise online, said they will do business with companies that have the Trusted Download Program certification and shun others, representatives for the Web companies said. Right now, AOL doesn't advertise via adware at all, a representative for the Time Warner subsidiary said.
Stopping the flow of money to the purveyors of adware is good, said Ben Edelman, a Harvard Law School student and spyware researcher. "Advertisers need to find ways to stop funding spyware," he said. Cutting off revenue might help reduce distribution channels for adware and spyware, so consumers may see less of it, he said.
However, Edelman is still worried about the Trusted Download Program. "I don't accept the notion that there is...'good' or 'good enough' adware," he said. "I have yet to see an adware program that offers users a reasonable value proposition."
Edelman also criticizes Truste, which he said has in the past given its Web site privacy seal to Direct Revenue and other adware peddlers.
Meanwhile, makers of anti-spyware software disagree on the value of the Trusted Download Program. Computer Associates, one of the sponsors, will use the program's whitelist of applications in its evaluation of what its PestPatrol anti-spyware tool should detect, said Tori Case, director of eTrust Security Management at CA.
Aluria Software Provided by Internet service provider EarthLink to its customers, won't use the list of certified applications.
"Having a whitelist is potentially dangerous. These products could change easily, and I could not imagine us using a whitelist," said Richard Kohn, the vice president of engineering at Aluria.
Sunbelt Software also won't use the list of approved adware for its CounterSpy product. "We will never use the whitelist. Apart from the fact that it's against our philosophy of listing criteria and methodology, our enterprise customers would never accept it," said company president Eckelberry.
As for unwanted software going away, tough chance, Kohn said. "It won't be the end of unwanted software. Just by the nature that the bad guys are propagating their stuff. The bad guys won't go away," he said.
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Mary Bono,
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Only time will tell.
In the past they have given legitimacy to companies with horrendous privacy policies.
I can only imagine which adware purveyors will pay lip service to reforming while having their apps do the dirty work.
I remember the mantra..."'tis better to beg forgiveness than to ask permission"
and that's what these malware purveyors use as their guide.
What they have done in the past is shown complete disregard for consumers and put profit over people everytime.
Companies that were built on this foundation are sure to repeat their steps.
As we know, a *lot* of computer users are not sophisticated enough about technology and the Internet (the continued proliferation of malware through spam--somebody's gotta be making it worth their time) to make an informed decision as to what they are installing. If there is going to be a "white list", I think the spyware/adware removal tools should identify it, notify the user that it is *certified* software, what it does, any information it gathers, and specifically who at what web address, gets that information. I will not use an anti-spyware/adware that does not identify these programs, and will continue to be leery of free downloads.
being sidely accepted as the MS Trustworthy Computing
program. I "trust" these self serving groups to take very good
care to promote the programs and agenda of its members.
What's the term (supposedly coined by Steve Ballmer) for this
kind of situation? BOGU?