AdAware includes its competitor in it's database

Is it ethical that Ad Aware includes it's competitor SpyHunter in it's
database?
If what they claim is right - in The Eyes - i'm happy that they do,..

But it does make me wonder where this will lead... and when it will
lead to abuse by others who also claim to block competitors for
ethical reasons.

I tend to trust AdAware... no question about that.

Ad Aware wrote:

<AdAware>
Enigma Software Group Inc. is the company behind the SpyHunter
software. They claim that “Our suites are built to address the need of
privacy protection and computer security. We empower internet users to
take control over their computers against Spyware, parasites, SPAM,
and others obtaining your personal information online!” However,
what’s not disclosed is the hidden transmission of the Microsoft
Windows Product ID to their servers every time their software checks
for an update. They also uniquely identify their users by use of a
unique ID for each installation. This unique ID is also sent to their
servers undisclosed. This is something we at Lavasoft find highly
questionable and unethical.

Enigma Software Group also uses questionable methods to market their
software SpyHunter. Their pop-up ads resemble virus alerts from
well-known anti-virus programs, and DOS windows displaying fake scan
results.

Internet users are tricked into believing their computers are infected
with “a spyware virus” and that they must download and scan their
computers with SpyHunter to get rid of it. The SpyHunter scanner is
free to download, but in order to remove these items, the software
must be purchased.

Earlier this year the so-called anti-spyware software SpyBan was
removed from the website Download.com because adware was installed
along with the software. According to News.com SpyBan “had failed to
disclose and explain all the software components included in its
installation, a violation of the Web site's policies”.

Enigma Software Group’s End User Licence Agreement does not contain
information about SpyHunter transmitting a client id or the Product ID
of the Microsoft Windows Operating System. That is why we at Lavasoft
hope that SpyHunter will be removed from the Download.com website
soon.

Why SpyHunter has been added to Ad-aware's database
While some may claim adding SpyHunter to Ad-aware’s database is an
attempt to defame a competitor, our users trust us with protecting
their privacy, and when another company is doing the very thing
they’re claiming to help protect against, Ad-aware is there to ensure
our users’ privacy isn’t deceptively violated.

All items added to Ad-aware’s database are qualified using a Threat
Assessment Chart (TAC) prior to inclusion. The system is based on a
total of 10 points, 1 being the least and 10 being the most
threatening and/or problematic. Behavior and intent weigh more heavily
towards becoming a legitimate detection than do the technical aspects.
Please note that applications that are difficult to remove and cause
system instability due to poor coding and DO NOT contain any further
violations as described below ARE NOT considered for inclusion in the
Ad-aware database.
</AdAware>
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NonDisputandum.com

On Tue, 01 Jun 2004 16:17:37 GMT, NonDisputandum.com
<webmaster_remove@remove_nondisputandum.com> wrote:

>Is it ethical that Ad Aware includes it's competitor SpyHunter in it's
>database?

If it does what adaware claim, then yes.

AND at the end of the day Adaware is freeware so
have they actually got 'competitors'
--
Jim Watt
http://www.gibnet.com

On Tue, 01 Jun 2004 19:41:01 +0200, Jim Watt <_way>
wrote:

>On Tue, 01 Jun 2004 16:17:37 GMT, NonDisputandum.com
><webmaster_remove@remove_nondisputandum.com> wrote:
>
>>Is it ethical that Ad Aware includes it's competitor SpyHunter in it's
>>database?
>
>If it does what adaware claim, then yes.
>
>AND at the end of the day Adaware is freeware so
>have they actually got 'competitors'


You're right,... they actiulally don't but that might offend fellow
SBSD users what is equally a nice prog but evolving differently...

But Ad Aware is not really freeware... they offer a free basic version
of a payware suite... a suite that does not respond to my needs. I
simply do not need anything but their free tool. The rest I get... for
free... though if I had to pay for the outstanding basis AD Aware
tool,... I really would consider it...
--
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On Tue, 01 Jun 2004 20:32:04 GMT, NonDisputandum.com
<webmaster_remove@remove_nondisputandum.com> wrote:

>On Tue, 01 Jun 2004 19:41:01 +0200, Jim Watt <_way>
>wrote:
>
>>On Tue, 01 Jun 2004 16:17:37 GMT, NonDisputandum.com
>><webmaster_remove@remove_nondisputandum.com> wrote:
>>
>>>Is it ethical that Ad Aware includes it's competitor SpyHunter in it's
>>>database?
>>
>>If it does what adaware claim, then yes.
>>
>>AND at the end of the day Adaware is freeware so
>>have they actually got 'competitors'
>
>
>You're right,... they actiulally don't but that might offend fellow
>SBSD users what is equally a nice prog but evolving differently...
>
>But Ad Aware is not really freeware... they offer a free basic version
>of a payware suite... a suite that does not respond to my needs. I
>simply do not need anything but their free tool. The rest I get... for
>free... though if I had to pay for the outstanding basis AD Aware
>tool,... I really would consider it...

I'm using Spybot more these days
--
Jim Watt
http://www.gibnet.com

"Jim Watt" <_way> wrote in message
news:...
> On Tue, 01 Jun 2004 20:32:04 GMT, NonDisputandum.com
> <webmaster_remove@remove_nondisputandum.com> wrote:

<snip>

> >But Ad Aware is not really freeware... they offer a free basic version
> >of a payware suite... a suite that does not respond to my needs. I
> >simply do not need anything but their free tool. The rest I get... for
> >free... though if I had to pay for the outstanding basis AD Aware
> >tool,... I really would consider it...
>
> I'm using Spybot more these days

Is it less "twitchy" than it used to be?

I found that it gave a fair few false positives - fine for myself (I know
the difference), but something that stops me from recommended it for general
users.

--

Hairy One Kenobi

Disclaimer: the opinions expressed in this opinion do not necessarily
reflect the opinions of the highly-opinionated person expressing the opinion
in the first place. So there!

On Tue, 8 Jun 2004 08:39:03 +0100, "Hairy One Kenobi"
<abuse@[127.0.0.1]> wrote:

>"Jim Watt" <_way> wrote in message
>news:.. .
>> On Tue, 01 Jun 2004 20:32:04 GMT, NonDisputandum.com
>> <webmaster_remove@remove_nondisputandum.com> wrote:
>
><snip>
>
>> >But Ad Aware is not really freeware... they offer a free basic version
>> >of a payware suite... a suite that does not respond to my needs. I
>> >simply do not need anything but their free tool. The rest I get... for
>> >free... though if I had to pay for the outstanding basis AD Aware
>> >tool,... I really would consider it...
>>
>> I'm using Spybot more these days
>
>Is it less "twitchy" than it used to be?
>
>I found that it gave a fair few false positives - fine for myself (I know
>the difference), but something that stops me from recommended it for general
>users.

Spybot still gives occasional false positives,.. but I do like the
more agressive approach. As you said,.. it's no problem if you know
what you (don't) remove. I understand that you prefer not to recommend
it... but even with Ad Aware i would always recommend to check what
one removes... event though I really trust Ad Aware 99,8%... one never
knows...
The register monitor might be another good reason to recommend
Spybot..
--
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