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Cnet's Download.com and the installer scam
mahesh2k:
Just found this domain hijacking on search engine for some of the donationcoders softwares. So my conclusion about these leech sites was not wrong at all. So we're going to use domain name of other sites as subdomain and hijack their position on web ?
mobysaurus.donationcoder.downloadsoftware4free.com
mobysaurus.donationcoder.softalizer.com
mobysaurus-thesaurus.donationcodercom.blueprograms.com
--- End quote ---
mouser:
BoingBoing writes about it:
http://boingboing.net/2011/12/10/cnets-download-com-secretly.html
"CNet's Download.com has been secretly installing adware alongside the free and open source software in its archive, in violation of its own stated policies, which claim "zero tolerance" for adware. EFF has some harsh words and stern advice for the company to make this right..."
The harder the internet comes down on cnet for what it did, the better for all of us, and the less likely the deceptive behavior is to happen again.
supermimai:
I m jumping in this thread as I m myself a software publisher working since a long time with various shareware / app catalog, such as download.com and softonic.
I can only agree about the process of the software downloader and ads bundling isn't very nice, as they have probably plenty of different ways to make money.
In the other hand, how the publisher can make money when most people just want free free free free program. who can work for free ?
I just asked to Softonic to remove my programs, or to remove the softonic downloader, as I don't like the fact they make money on my back..
app103:
I just asked to Softonic to remove my programs, or to remove the softonic downloader, as I don't like the fact they make money on my back..
-supermimai (February 08, 2012, 06:28 AM)
--- End quote ---
I have been asking most download sites to remove my software, regardless of whether or not they are bundling it with adware or using downloaders.
They are all making money off my software by keeping people away from my website, keeping me from making any money from the ads displayed on my site, and making money off the ads they display on pages where they list my software. Furthermore, most of them are hotlinking to my downloads, which means they are abusing the bandwidth that they are not paying for. Too many of these download sites have a really bad reputation for not practicing quality control with the apps they list, spreading malware to unsuspecting users, getting themselves red ratings on WOT, which can damage the reputation of any developer that has his stuff listed right alongside the malware.
A lot of these download sites are engaging in what could be called content theft, trolling the internet for software that they can hijack without permission to stick on their own site, copying the descriptions right off the developer's site, stealing their screenshots, and stealing their bandwidth by hotlinking to their files, then throwing ads on it to make money. If they did this same thing with other types of content, like say blog articles, the bloggers wouldn't be too happy about it. I don't see a reason for me to be happy about it, either.
I am sick of working for them for free and having them profit from it. Since my stuff is all freeware, it doesn't make any sense to me to allow them to list it. It makes about as much sense as voluntarily infecting myself with a tapeworm.
If they were in the habit of sending their visitors to my site to acquire the software, I would probably feel very differently about it. But that's not what they do.
superboyac:
I just asked to Softonic to remove my programs, or to remove the softonic downloader, as I don't like the fact they make money on my back..
-supermimai (February 08, 2012, 06:28 AM)
--- End quote ---
I have been asking most download sites to remove my software, regardless of whether or not they are bundling it with adware or using downloaders.
They are all making money off my software by keeping people away from my website, keeping me from making any money from the ads displayed on my site, and making money off the ads they display on pages where they list my software. Furthermore, most of them are hotlinking to my downloads, which means they are abusing the bandwidth that they are not paying for. Too many of these download sites have a really bad reputation for not practicing quality control with the apps they list, spreading malware to unsuspecting users, getting themselves red ratings on WOT, which can damage the reputation of any developer that has his stuff listed right alongside the malware.
A lot of these download sites are engaging in what could be called content theft, trolling the internet for software that they can hijack without permission to stick on their own site, copying the descriptions right off the developer's site, stealing their screenshots, and stealing their bandwidth by hotlinking to their files, then throwing ads on it to make money. If they did this same thing with other types of content, like say blog articles, the bloggers wouldn't be too happy about it. I don't see a reason for me to be happy about it, either.
I am sick of working for them for free and having them profit from it. Since my stuff is all freeware, it doesn't make any sense to me to allow them to list it. It makes about as much sense as voluntarily infecting myself with a tapeworm.
If they were in the habit of sending their visitors to my site to acquire the software, I would probably feel very differently about it. But that's not what they do.
-app103 (February 08, 2012, 05:43 PM)
--- End quote ---
Yup. You do ALL the legwork, and they reap in all the profit while they kick up their heels and sit there.
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