Ben Edelman: C-NetMedia’s Anti-Spyware Offerings and Advertising Practices
February 15th, 2008 Posted/Linked by Shanmuga
"Not every "anti-spyware" program is what it claims to be. Some truly have users’ interests at heart — identifying and removing bona fide risks to privacy, security, stability, or performance. Others resort to a variety of tricks to confuse users about what they’re getting and why they purportedly need it.
This article reports the results of my examination of anti-spyware software from C-NetMedia. I show:
* Deceptive advertising, deceptive product names, and deceptive web site designs falsely suggest affiliation with security industry leaders. Details.
* The use of many disjoint product names prevents consumers from easily learning more about C-Net, its reputation, and its practices. Details.
* High-pressure sales tactics, including false positives, overstate the urgency of paying for an upgraded version. Details.
Note that C-NetMedia is unrelated to the well-known technology news site CNET Networks. " - Content courtesy of Critiquing C-NetMedia’s Anti-Spyware Offerings and Advertising Practices
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