A Watchdog Group Warns Against AOL’s Free Software
Psychophysiological entity
Thread Starter
A Watchdog Group Warns Against AOL’s Free Software
NY Times today
*
E-Mail
* Print
* Reprints
* Save
Article Tools Sponsored By
By TOM ZELLER Jr.
Published: August 29, 2006
Dealing yet another blow to AOL, a leading software watchdog group warned users away from AOL’s free client software yesterday on the ground that it displayed characteristics consistent with “badware.”
The term badware describes a wide array of downloadable applications that try to install extra components on a computer without clearly informing users of what they are or what they will do.
The group, StopBadware.org, posted an “open inquiry” into the AOL software yesterday, meaning that a dialogue has been opened with the company and that a full “badware” designation is still pending.
The report, however, stated that the AOL client software, which provides subscribers with a suite of services, also installed extra software deceptively, altered the Web browser and other computer components without notifying the user, and did not uninstall completely, among other “badware behaviors.”
*
* Reprints
* Save
Article Tools Sponsored By
By TOM ZELLER Jr.
Published: August 29, 2006
Dealing yet another blow to AOL, a leading software watchdog group warned users away from AOL’s free client software yesterday on the ground that it displayed characteristics consistent with “badware.”
The term badware describes a wide array of downloadable applications that try to install extra components on a computer without clearly informing users of what they are or what they will do.
The group, StopBadware.org, posted an “open inquiry” into the AOL software yesterday, meaning that a dialogue has been opened with the company and that a full “badware” designation is still pending.
The report, however, stated that the AOL client software, which provides subscribers with a suite of services, also installed extra software deceptively, altered the Web browser and other computer components without notifying the user, and did not uninstall completely, among other “badware behaviors.”
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: BRISTOL!
Age: 39
Posts: 526
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Its not looking to bright for AOL recently hey, i think it may go dark for a while soon, i think its well over one hands worth of problems they have had the past month. I was just thinking back to when i was on AOL, they was great, its was great. The browser way annoying but the AOL Communities was what kept me with them for so long. Oh well, sure they will come out of all this more wiser.
