Advertise with 180 Solutions? This is what you Bought!

We have a new virus, it uses firefox to attack IE. But why would it do that? That is crazy!?!?! Simple, because they are being paid to. Who in their right mind would pay for such things?

180 Solutions is in the download.

Okay, but that doesn't mean 180 solutions pays to infect people, that is stretching it.

Is it?

Last year I asked them, since their software needs to call home to find what ad to show for what keyword, and since they claim to know who installed what on what system, when they know a distributor is doing drive-by installs, why not shut down the software? Their answer? Because that would then be spyware... yes, that is their logic. Having their software call home and get a reply to serve ads is not spyware, but having their software call home to be told not to serve ads? that is spyware. here is the quote from a 180 rep.

It is impossible for us to deactivate the software on a users computer, that would cause another whole "sypware" thread issue, but we do shutdown that distributor within our network. As I have said before, we provide a straightforward way for users to uninstall the software using conventional add/remove practices. If a user wishes to uninstall the software, then it is definitely their right to be able to do so.

So, this means that people infected with this latest virus, will continue to show 180 solution ads, even though they got the download from a virus. And even though 180 solutions knows who these people are. Because hey, those people could always just simply uninstall the software they never asked to be installed on their system in the first place...

I can think of no single better way to advertise a company than by having a virus install the advertising! So for all you 180 solutions advertisers - JOB WELL DONE!!! Don't worry, that distributor may not be getting paid by 180 solutions, but your ads will still safely be seen as part of a virus being installed on their computers!!!!

Maybe next time you can advertise by an email trojan! After all, it is your choice to advertise through a company who has admitted they will not disable ill-gotten installs. That pretty much says - "We support viruses as a way to spread our advertising". And you know what?

That makes you special.

If you have been infected by this virus and have had any 180 Solutions software installed on your system, file a complaint with the FTC, they listen and they act.

So does 180 solutions pay people to install viruses? I am sure, not even they are stupid enough to do that. But they do profit from those virus installs, and isn't that bad enough?

Comment on POE News forums

Posted by Chet at March 12, 2005 04:15 AM