RSS180solutions Tries to Clean Up its Act
By Nate Mook | Published December 6, 2005, 12:46 PM
UPDATED After filing suit against Zone Labs last week for alleged damage to its business, adware provider 180solutions has come under fire from all angles. The company has also been accused of letting partners slip its ad software onto users' PCs through illegal crack and porn sites. Now, 180 is promising to clean up its act.
On Tuesday, 180solutions announced it was ending the distribution of 180search Assistant and releasing Seekmo Search Assistant instead, which it says includes technologies to help reduce the number of unauthorized installations. Asserting its innocence, 180 claims its partners are the ones trying to defraud end-users.
The company's new Safe and Secure Search (S3) technology features what it calls a Closed Loop System (CLS). 180solutions says the additions allow it to track a "compromised" distribution channel and receive real-time feedback from users through the CLS.
180 can then message users informing them that the ad software was installed on their computers without permission, and offer a one-click removal option, the company claims. Customers can also choose to opt-in and keep the Search Assistant software on their PC if they so desire.
Zango Search Assistant, 180's primary adware product, includes the same capabilities.
"The real-time feedback provided by the CLS program cuts off the financial incentive for unapproved installations by allowing 180solutions to evaluate the legitimacy of installations prior to making payments to the partner," 180solutions says.
But 180's distribution model opens the door for abuse and sits in the gray area between adware and spyware, critics say. Because more Zango installations means more ads shown and more revenue, they note, there is little incentive to stop unauthorized installations.
Alex Eckelberry, president of security software vendor Sunbelt, says there are numerous instances of Zango being offered on sites with questionable content. He provides one example of a site with videos by a comedian who tries to get laughs acting as a racist.
"The company is marketing itself to websites that are not part of the mainstream (which is what they mean when they refer to the long tail of the Internet) and a relationship with a site like this, however accidental, is inevitable given their current modus operandi and distribution model," Eckelberry says.
In response, 180solutions acknowledges that while some people may be offended by the site, its videos also appear on iFilm. Sean Sundwall, director of corporate communications at 180, notes that the Tonight Show and Comedy Central also air controversial segments.
"Should they be skewered as well? I ask these questions because the mainstream media seem to write everything zealots like Alex say without asking basic questions," Sundwall told BetaNews.
"Our mission is to offer consumers free, ad-supported software and content that will inevitably include content that is horribly offensive to some but drop dead funny to others. We are not in the censorship game," Sundwall added.
180solutions also contends that it is cleaning house, and says it has terminated over 600 partnerships for non-compliance. The company asserts that in November it helped the FBI go after two companies illegally distributing its Search Assistant software.
"There's free stuff at Zango.com (a 180 site), like ZangoWeather or some Flash game. In exchange for these freebies, you get Zango Search Assistant and get a, umm, rich advertising experience. You know, I can almost jive with that. I can understand it," adds Eckelberry.
"But let's not forget that a crapload of 180 installs occur on sites that push an install on you that you don't actually need."
why BetaNews doesn't create a specific tutorial for that?
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|Bah. hypocrites. Who will trust on them now? only newbies and Idiots. Bah. they are a pack of bas****s. I'd not trust on them again. well I won't.
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I rate them -1.000.000 ( 100% SPYWARES )
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|180 lmfao they are the biggest waste of time man they wont clean up more like clean out ur computer after flooding it with spyware lol
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|If, once and for all they put those people behind bars for "breaking and entering", that is what they are doing in fact, I think that you would see a huge drop in spyware. By the way, I would be soooooooo happy to see keyloggers and such disappear from review on Betanews. After all, if Betanews is serious about this, they do have to show the example, no?
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|I am not convinced by 180's explantation.
Why isn't their product easily unstallable by default?? Surely it is just basic common sense and decency to do this?
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|180$0lution$ is a fu|
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|I want to get the latest useless craplets and widgets around and my computer is running to fast for my tastes. What should I do?
NOW THERE'S ZANGO from 180SOLUTIONS!
Thanks Zango! Not only did you help slow down that fast machine, I have all sorts of neat things running on my desktop. There's never a dull moment. -Michelle, New York
The screen and mouse used to stay idle, but now I close ad windows every 10-15 minutes. Those unexpected pop-ups really keep me awake and productive. - Steve, Minnestoa
I installed this on a prick's computer. Not even Ad-Aware can get rid of it. Thanks Zango!!!!! - A0lh4ckr, Internet
Konrad.
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|How can you "clean up" something that's all dirt? Throw it away, that's how.
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|@$$holes. Why haven't they been shut down yet? Quit whining and die.
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|Wow...the normally dry-as-toast wincement shows his true colors...
:P
They got ya, didn't they?
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|LMAO :D
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|ROFL @ "dry-as-toast"
"They got ya, didn't they?"
haha, I guess so. I worked tech support for 2 and a half years. That's probably why I have no patience for spyware.
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|180solutions changing it's name to Seekmo Search Assistant?
Oh joy! Goody goody!
Just what I always wanted, more SCUMWARE!
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|Ummmmm...still lying scumbags! Why is this news? Oh well, watching them squirm in their own trap is entertaining.
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|http://www.theamazingracist.net/
Or a screenshot -- http://castlecops.com/mo...le=download&id=7741
"www.theamazingracist.com has partnered with Zango to bring you the best amizing racist videos on the web."
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|Wow... Oh just give it some time 180 will claim soon it had nothing to do with this guy.
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|"content that is horribly offensive to some but drop dead funny to others"
Rather "drop dead" than be "horribly offensive"!
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|They saw $$ with Claria. Otherwise, they never waste time spinning their story.
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|What they need to clean up, is the crap they slip into people's computers. Who cares about their act. And the audacity to sue zone....LOL. That's really funny. If they win you know something's wrong in the world....
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|"and receive real-time feedback from users"
They mis-spelled "victims."
*sigh*
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|Has anyone heard what ZoneLabs has to say about this? I wonder if they are laughing?
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|Knew they were going to get burned for doing this. What a bunch of stupid 180solutions people. Dumb Dumb Dumb people!
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|180solutions: If there's a solution, turn 180 degrees and run in that direction!
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|That wasn't funny the last three times you posted it.
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|For the record I posted it only twice :)
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|180Solutions has got to be kidding. They can change their name as many times as they want: everyone -- even the most computer illiterate person on the planet -- knows what they're about. And any company that "partners" with them will be considered scumware as well.
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|if they had any honesty they would just change their name to 180pollutions
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|If 180 was smart, they would take their software off of the websites that try to "push" their software onto peoples computers. They need to just have it availible for download on their OWN website, and maybe a few mirrors. 180 also needs to get rid the "partners" that are using their software to download spyware. This way their software ads are clean/spyware free. Also their software won't be forced down the users throat, But availble for downloading if the user wants the software.
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|well if they did that in the first place, 99% of us who had to deal with their nonsense would never have had the joy of a 180solutions malware infection. But then of course they wouldn't make any money. Make no mistake, companies like this are not going to turn over a new leaf, or "clean house" as they say, theres no profit in it, this is nothing more then SPIN.
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|oh I know, I've been removing their software from customers computers for over a year now. I was just stating my opinion on the article :)
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|i hear ya, i just get really beserk when it comes to this sort of stuff, especially when a company like this has the nerve to sue ZoneLabs for calling them out on their crap and trying to help their customers. ZoneLabs customers are real customers, 180's "customers" are victims.
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|I totally agree. Did 180 actually think this would help them out?
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|Great, now i can add "Seekmo Search Assistant" to my list of things to remove immediately. Die 180 DIE DIE DIE!
Oh and they can put a "safe and secure" on a bottle of anthrax, anyone with half a brain still shoulnd't drink it.
"180solutions contends that it is cleaning house" - i got a better idea, go out of business permanently.
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|I truly hope that they knew this was going to happen to them, before filing. I mean really.
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|You know, it seems really sad, but there are people who actually -do- use softwares from these sorts of places, and don't mind. *sigh*
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|I'm sorry
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