SoftPedia -> Adware in CIS ?! [merged threads]

[Creasy]

@HeffeD post:18

I think the difference is that Avira is just trying to get you to buy the paid version of the software. At least that is the only advertisement I’ve seen. I think it’s a bit different trying to push your own wares as it is to push someone elses.

Comodo is by default trying to get you to install the ASK toolbar, which is adware as well as changes to your browser setup. I understand they likely get revenue from ASK and they are offering CIS for free, but seriously, it’s a bit hypocritical for a malware application to try want you to install adware on your system.

I personally feel these install options should be removed from the installer, but at the very least, make them opt-in instead of the current opt-out. In other words, the user would need to tell the installer they want to install these instead of the current method of having to tell the installer not to install these. The way it is currently configured, unless the user is paying attention during the installer, they may actually get more than they are expecting which is always viewed as a shady practice. It’s a well known phenomenon that a large percentage of computer users simply click ‘yes’ or ‘next’ without actually reading what they are agreeing to when installing.

agreed.

but
What do you think? Repacking CIS with unchecked toolbar selections.
I think that is better than remove.
Maybe, There is some kind of relationship between Comodo and Askbar as a sponsor.

[HeffeD]

@Creasy post:21

What do you think? Repacking CIS with unchecked toolbar selections.
I think that is better than remove.
Maybe, There is some kind of relationship between Comodo and Askbar as a sponsor.

Yes, that’s why I mentioned that at the very least, these options should be opt-in by default instead of opt-out. In other words, the user must select these options to install them instead of the current default of having to de-select them in order to not install them.

The default behavior for installing items above and beyond the desired software should always be opt-in. Counting on the user to not be paying attention and perhaps install additional items when installing is a questionable practice and not something that you should need to be wary of when installing security software…

[Ragwing]

@Creasy post:19

Kidding me?
Don’t compare with web browsers. It doesn’t make sense.
Your logic is TOOLBAR=WEB BROWSER.
What kind of logic is that…
That’s totally unreasonable.
Toolbar is not the browser, it’s just one of the add-ons.
Don’t you know what is BHO?

I never said that a browser is a toolbar. I said that a browser displays ads.

[Jaki]

@RejZoR post:13

I see no reason why Ask toolbar should be problematic. Ask.com is a legit company, toolbar is completelly optional (i’ve never installed it). Also, what gives with all the programs that bundle Google Toolbar?
Why aren’t those treated as adware supported programs?

For the first I have found myself agreeing with you. Ask.com is moreover Google competitor and to me they are doing a fine job and I like ask.com. I really do not want the internet becoming a google search monopoly. Hey RejZoR Ithought you gave up on Comodo forums. ;D

Peace.

[Kyle142]

RejZor is a valuable member of the forums often pointing out area’s of comodo that need fixing :-TU
Sometimes we agree, soemtimes we don’t… that’s life

Btw has anyone got incontact with them about this?

[Melih]

Thanks for bringing this to our attention RejZor. I have passed this to our legal guys to deal with.

As it happens I passed by Softpedia offices while I was in Romania. Their offices can see our building (ours is the Tallest building in that city and its only a stone throws away from them) perhaps, i should have popped in to have a chat with them and introduce Comodo… maybe next time when i am there

Melih

[burebista]

@Melih post:26

[…] perhaps, i should have popped in to have a chat with them and introduce Comodo… maybe next time when i am there

It will be an honor for us to see an interview with you on Softpedia. :-TU

[Melih]

@burebista post:27

It will be an honor for us to see an interview with you on Softpedia. :-TU

Maybe next time I am there, if they invite me, I will pop in and say hi to them

Melih

[Dwarden]

i think it would be easy to solve that when you choose SafeSurf toolbar it offers option to not install ask toolbar or it include clear warning that that ask toolbar will become installed too …

if the problem is just autoinstall of askt …

[EricCryptid]

@Dwarden post:29

i think it would be easy to solve that when you choose SafeSurf toolbar it offers option to not install ask toolbar or it include clear warning that that ask toolbar will become installed too …

if the problem is just autoinstall of askt …

Maybe an Opt In option instead of Opt Out. Unticking the Safesurf boxes stops auto installation.

Or maybe the “Set as default Search” and “Set as homepage” options were removed, that might stop any inclination of it being an adware installer.

[Softpedia]

Earlier today Softpedia received a “cease and desist” email from the Comodo team. If the attention received by Comodo apps on Softpedia wasn’t proof enough, we would like to remind everybody that there never was and there never will be any intention on our part to end our collaboration with Comodo. Therefore, since the email didn’t leave us much choice, we would like to make our answer public, so you, the Comodo users, can understand that we do not wish to remove CIS from our website and did actually offered alternatives to the Comodo team

Unfortunately, CIS was not "misclassified" as adware. As you can see here http://www.softpedia.com/user/licensing_adware.shtml, Softpedia marks a program as adware in six cases. You've mentioned in your email SafeSurf: SafeSurf is just one of the three reasons CIS was marked as adware. If we were to ignore the toolbar, CIS would still offer to change the user's homepage and search engine. Aside from the fact that those are good enough reasons to mark any software in our database as adware, listing programs with this type of behavior as freeware would inevitably harm Softpedia's image on popular security sites such as SiteAdvisor that do not condone these actions in any software, especially one marked as Freeware. From what I have seen on your website, a lot of Comodo users agree with us that these options should be removed or at least made "opt-in." In either case the program would be marked as Freeware and in the second one the options don't even have to be removed. But as it is now, there's no doubt about the fact that CIS installs components (SafeSurf) that it doesn't require to fully function and, moreover, it attempts to change the browser's homepage and search engine. Classifying this type of behavior as freeware is unacceptable for us, for other producers who keep their applications free of such options and, of course, for our users, who expect to click their way through a freeware program without worrying that unwanted changes have been made to their systems. Also, as you can see from the COMODO Firewall Pro page on Softpedia, the software enjoys a lot of attention from and is highly appreciated by both our users and our review team, as it was awarded the maximum of five stars at the last internal evaluation while almost 900 users have averaged a rating of 4.4 stars. Removing it from our database would be detrimental mostly to those who see it as a perfect security solution for their systems. Therefore, please send us a confirmation email if you wish to take the appropriate measures in order to have the program marked as Freeware or keep the options as they are (in which case, from what I understand, you wish to remove all listings marked as adware - listings that have tens of thousands of downloads on Softpedia).

[who_te_fuc]

Interesting and welcome to comodo Softpedia! ;D :-TU
Thanks for a public response as well…

Just be careful…

@Melih post:26

As it happens I passed by Softpedia offices while I was in Romania. Their offices can see our building (ours is the Tallest building in that city and its only a stone throws away from them) perhaps, i should have popped in to have a chat with them and introduce Comodo… maybe next time when i am there

Melih

If you read between the lines, Melih is basically saying that if he wants then he can throw stones at your building.
:o :o

Just joking. =) It will be interesting to see Melihs response to this. xO Also FYI: Comodo will at least drop the Ask toolbar in the future, maby then we can all live in peace… Lol.

https://forums.comodo.com/comodo_hopsurf_and_safesurf/hopsurf_beta_launched-t37640.0.html;msg268404#msg268404

Thats a link where I ask Melih and he says that hopsurf will replace ask… =) (whatever that is… hehe) O0 O0

[Melih]

Thanks for the response Softpedia…
I will pass this to our legal people but I think there is a definition issue in that you guys are entitled to classify things according to your own rules, but can’t call something a word that it is not.

I think the wording you use for our product has to be reconsidered…
here is the definition of the word “adware” from wikipedia Adware - Wikipedia

Here is the excerpt: “Adware or advertising-supported software is any software package which automatically plays, displays, or downloads advertisements to a computer after the software is installed on it or while the application is being used. Some types of adware are also spyware and can be classified as privacy-invasive software.”

Now, we do NOT automatically play or display or download advertisements to a computer after the software is installed or the while the application is being used.

So the question is back to you guys at Softpedia: Does SafeSurf match the description of Adware as per Wikipedia description?

thanks

Melih

[jeremysbost]

I do wish that Softpedia would have a different word instead of “Adware” (which makes it sound very bad)…but I also don’t like how CIS has the 3 “offending” options automatically checked/selected.

:-\

Melih, I am not sure that SafeSurf itself is adware, but I think that changing the home page and search engine (which has ads on it) by default can be defined as “adware-ish” activity.

[jay2007tech]

No one messes with comodo >:(
I’m not going to softspedia anymore :o I’m boycotting I will share my opinion with others

I with you, Melih

:comodo110: :comodo110: :comodo110: :comodo110: :comodo110: :comodo110: :comodo110: :comodo110: :comodo110: :comodo110: :comodo110: :comodo110: :comodo110: :comodo110:

[oOeagleOo]

@LaserWraith post:34

I do wish that Softpedia would have a different word instead of “Adware” (which makes it sound very bad)…but I also don’t like how CIS has the 3 “offending” options automatically checked/selected.

:-\

Melih, I am not sure that SafeSurf itself is adware, but I think that changing the home page and search engine (which has ads on it) by default can be defined as “adware-ish” activity.

+1 :-TU

[jeremysbost]

@jay2007tech post:35

No one messes with comodo >:(
I’m not going to softspedia anymore :o I’m boycotting I will share my opinion with others

I with you, Melih

:comodo110: :comodo110: :comodo110: :comodo110: :comodo110: :comodo110: :comodo110: :comodo110: :comodo110: :comodo110: :comodo110: :comodo110: :comodo110: :comodo110:

You quite a fanboy. Softpedia is actually one of the best places to find programs. I use it a lot. Just be careful about some of the not-so-popular downloads.

@Lasse88 post:36

+1 :-TU

Thanks.

[Melih]

Thank you guys.
As you all can see the definition of Adware is clearly articulated in wikipedia. Safesurf does NOT match that. I am sure its just using wrong definition and I have full confidence in Softpedia team to resolve it amicably.

thanks

Melih

[jeremysbost]

@Melih post:38

Thank you guys.
As you all can see the definition of Adware is clearly articulated in wikipedia. Safesurf does NOT match that. I am sure its just using wrong definition and I have full confidence in Softpedia team to resolve it amicably.

thanks

Melih

Did you read my post? I said that SafeSurf does not seem to be adware, but the act of changing the home page and search engine, which has ads, is adware-ish.

That is a strong reason for Softpedia to continue labeling CIS as “Adware”.

[HeffeD]

@LaserWraith post:39

Did you read my post? I said that SafeSurf does not seem to be adware, but the act of changing the home page and search engine, which has ads, is adware-ish.

That is a strong reason for Softpedia to continue labeling CIS as “Adware”.

Yep. Such practices are borderline shady.