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

[HeffeD]

@Melih post:60

So I would be interested in their marking of SiteAdvisor on softpedia site. Can someone post a screenshot pls of how they mark it…

[attachment deleted by admin]

[who_te_fuc]

If someone still doubts then I can as well confirm that it is Opt-Out… ;D ;D

@Melih post:60

How does SoftPedia mark SiteAdvisor?

Because this is what Softpedia said above:

“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”

So that must surely also apply to Siteadvisor?

So I would be interested in their marking of SiteAdvisor on softpedia site. Can someone post a screenshot pls of how they mark it…

thanks

Melih

I doubt they can answare that Melih…
I think Softpedia took the pride they had left and made a run… 88) 88) haha… =)

[Melih]

I am sure they are big enough guys to correct their errors. We all make mistakes and what differentiate good people from the others in this scenerio is when you are big enough to own up to your mistake and fix it.

I am confident Softpedia guys are decent enough guys to make that good.

thanks

Melih

[Melih]

@HeffeD post:61

Very interesting…

Siteadvisor pushes a toolbar on opt out
Safesurf pushes a toolbar on opt out

But only safesurf is marked adware!!!

WHY?

I am, as I said above, confident that Softpedia will make it good.

Melih

[Breen]

Like I said, Softpedia has double standards for different products… Or maybe it is only misunderstanding :P. It has to change.

[who_te_fuc]

@Melih post:63

I am sure they are big enough guys to correct their errors. We all make mistakes and what differentiate good people from the others in this scenerio is when you are big enough to own up to your mistake and fix it.

I am confident Softpedia guys are decent enough guys to make that good.

thanks

Melih

I think they fix this as well…
They seems decent! =)

They posted a very nice letter at least where they cared to explain to the comodo community why they did as they did, something not many vendors do… +1 to softpedia! It shows that they care about their reputation! =)

[system]

@HeffeD post:58

I just installed it to see and it is opt-out.

I may be seeing it wrong, but, that’s opt-in, in my way of seeing it. Otherwise, let’s think. COMODO SafeSurf, if installed, offers no possible choice whether or not to install Ask.com toolbar. McAfee SiteAdvisor, upon installation, as an option to use the Yahoo! toolbar. It comes preselected, yes, but, people can opt not to use the toolbar. Unlike COMODO. McAfee doesn’t impose the installation of the toolbar, to use SiteAdvisor. COMODO does, if people choose to install SafeSurf, which offers no choices.

So, in my way of seeing it, by looking at the way things two products install, I’d say SiteAdvisor Yahoo! toolbar is opt-in, even if preselected. It shouldn’t come preselected, but, people have the option to untick it.

The way the two toolbars are offered, make all the difference.

[HeffeD]

@reklaw post:67

So, in my way of seeing it, by looking at the way things two products install, I’d say SiteAdvisor Yahoo! toolbar is opt-in, even if preselected. It shouldn’t come preselected, but, people have the option to untick it.

Having to untick is what makes it opt-out. In other words, you need to opt-out in order for it not to install any additional stuff. If you don’t untick anything, these are installed for you by default.

If the user has to tick the options to install the add-ons, then it is opt-in. A default install in this situation gives you nothing but the core application.

As for the differences between the Ask toolbar and Yahoo toolbar in the installers, it’s the same. If you want to use SafeSurf by Comodo, you get the Ask toolbar. If you want to use SafeSearch Secure Search by McAfee, you get the Yahoo toolbar…

Edit: Sorry, it’s Secure Search by McAfee

[Melih]

Reklaw

both siteadvisor and safesurf use the same method. pls look at the screenshots…

thanks

Melih

[jebuchanan]

They must have just changed it because it now shows as adware. See attached screenshot.

[attachment deleted by admin]

[HeffeD]

Wow, that was quick!

Somebody from there must definitely be reading this forum.

[system]

@Melih post:69

Reklaw

both siteadvisor and safesurf use the same method. pls look at the screenshots…

thanks

Melih

Yes, but, what I mean is that there’s a difference. By installing COMODO SafeSurf, people still install Ask.com toolbar. By installing SiteAdvisor, may opt-out (that’s correct, I was confusing.) the Yahoo! toolbar. McAfee won’t make the people installing their product to also install the Yahoo! toolbar, as part of the bundle. Yes, it cmes preselected, but people still can opt-out. The only way to get rid of Ask.com toolbar is for later uninstall it.

Edit:

And, according to this https://forums.comodo.com/feedbackcommentsannouncementsnews_cis/softpedia_adware_in_cis-t37565.0.html;msg272496#msg272496, the Yahoo! toolbar is only required to show only the red ratings. People can still opt-out.

I’m not saying this to criticize only COMODO. I mean it for all vendors, but, COMODO does not allow the user either to opt-in or opt-out. It’s imposed. It’s different.

[jeremysbost]

Even though SiteAdvisor is doing it, is that a reason for SafeSurf to?

I think that there should just be an option to install HopSurf (since CIS replaces the need for SafeSurf), and that option should be opt-in.

[Softpedia]

It seems that some explanations are long overdue. I’ll try to make this as short and as clear as possible.

1. Ignoring the toolbar was just hypothetical. For the program to be marked as Freeware, the Comodo team must find a solution for all three problems.
2. When talking about adware Softpedia does not make any exception for any software or producer! We’ve marked as adware programs from Microsoft, Yahoo! and “even” Google.
3. We are perfectly aware that a lot of adware programs are marked as freeware, but, unfortunately, for the time being, we cannot monitor the changes producers make to their software without notifying us. Nevertheless, when we do find an adware program or receive an adware report, the appropriate measures are immediately taken regardless of the software’s producer or popularity. [McAfee SiteAdvisor for Internet Explorer - No longer has the 100% Clean award ;)]
   4(PS). We haven’t received any official response to our email and the clock is ticking…

[Melih]

@Softpedia post:74

It seems that some explanations are long overdue. I’ll try to make this as short and as clear as possible.

1. Ignoring the toolbar was just hypothetical. For the program to be marked as Freeware, the Comodo team must find a solution for all three problems.
2. When talking about adware Softpedia does not make any exception for any software or producer! We’ve marked as adware programs from Microsoft, Yahoo! and “even” Google.
3. We are perfectly aware that a lot of adware programs are marked as freeware, but, unfortunately, for the time being, we cannot monitor the changes producers make to their software without notifying us. Nevertheless, when we do find an adware program or receive an adware report, the appropriate measures are immediately taken regardless of the software’s producer or popularity. [McAfee SiteAdvisor for Internet Explorer - No longer has the 100% Clean award ;)]
   4(PS). We haven’t received any official response to our email and the clock is ticking…

which 3 problems exactly pls?

thanks
Melih

[Softpedia]

@Melih post:75

which 3 problems exactly pls?

thanks
Melih

(1) Attempts to change the homepage for web browsers installed on the system
(2) Attempts to change the default search engine for web browsers installed on the system
(3) Offers to download or install software or components (such as browser toolbars) that the program does not require to fully function: SafeSurf

[HeffeD]

@LaserWraith post:73

Even though SiteAdvisor is doing it, is that a reason for SafeSurf to?

I don’t think so…

@Melih post:75

which 3 problems exactly pls?

The other two being that the CIS installer wants to also change the users start page and default search page.

Also note from the first post from Softpedia, if these options were simply made opt-in, they would be able to list CIS as freeware.

@Softpedia post:31

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.

Doesn’t sound like a difficult fix to me…

[Melih]

@Softpedia post:76

(1) Attempts to change the homepage for web browsers installed on the system
(2) Attempts to change the default search engine for web browsers installed on the system
(3) Offers to download or install software or components (such as browser toolbars) that the program does not require to fully function: SafeSurf

Thank you…

Can you pls clarify the word “attempt”. As far as I know we do NOT “attempt”. Only if the user continues with the selected section will it get installed. So I would appreciate further clarification on your wording “attempt” pls.

thanks
Melih

[jeremysbost]

@Melih post:78

Thank you…

Can you pls clarify the word “attempt”. As far as I know we do NOT “attempt”. Only if the user continues with the selected section will it get installed. So I would appreciate further clarification on your wording “attempt” pls.

thanks
Melih

It is clear that you want them to get the homepage and search engine changed by automatically selecting those options.

WordWeb describes the verb “attempt”: To enter upon an activity or enterprise

Your “enterprise” is to get the defaults changed so that you will make money. As I recall, Ask.com pays people who do activities like what Comodo is doing.

See, “sponsored results” (same thing as “ads”) (there are more on the bottom of the search results page):

http://dlrvdq.bay.livefilestore.com/y1pq54bEXuI0rrxwMCPGzMMKl_649P5OSY5njBeo7dHQk_CBheMwoOVbWLJBfBJQXmpwdBeIekSXvtId-ru_rhIZbIu_smm_TQ9/ask.com%20ads.png

[Melih]

@LaserWraith post:79

It is clear that you want them to get the homepage and search engine changed by automatically selecting those options.

WordWeb describes the verb “attempt”: To enter upon an activity or enterprise

Your “enterprise” is to get the defaults changed so that you will make money. As I recall, Ask.com pays people who do activities like what Comodo is doing.

See, “sponsored results” (same thing as “ads”) (there are more on the bottom of the search results page):

http://dlrvdq.bay.livefilestore.com/y1pq54bEXuI0rrxwMCPGzMMKl_649P5OSY5njBeo7dHQk_CBheMwoOVbWLJBfBJQXmpwdBeIekSXvtId-ru_rhIZbIu_smm_TQ9/ask.com%20ads.png

as per your description, safesurf does NOT enter upon an activity or enterprise. Only user can enable that.

Again, I would like to hear Softpedia’s meaning of attempt is as safesurf does NOT attempt.

Melih