Radlight and SpyWare

[jordil2]

(Please, forgive if this topic has been commented before).

I usually don't write in forums but I can't avoid to say something about Radlight.

I downloaded yesterday its DIVx player and when I installed I read the "license agreement". It says the program installs what it is usually considered as "spyware". This is not estrange, it is a common practice for a lot of "free" programs, anyway I decided not to install it (I hate spyware).

The worst thing is something I have just read: It seems that when installing Radlight, it disabled AdAware (an antispyware product).

http://www.salon.com/tech/feature/2002/04/26/anti_spyware/

I think this is not acceptable. I would ask anyone interested with more spare time to check this information and make public this fact to all the DIVx community. If this is true I think noone should install this player in the future...

[DAvenger]

Yes, RadLight includes a specially advanced spyware which is designed to steal your soul, your cat (or dog) and to report the porn sites you visit each evening to your wife. If your pet is near your computer this advanced spyware will scan it (like in Star Trek, using light stream - that's why it is called Rad LIGHT) and steal your pet (then sell it for thousands of dollars on a black market)

I think you should make the whole DivX community aware of this !!!

... and I know what I am talking about, I coded it

[Mac Sidewinder]

atleast you're honest - lol

Mac

[Batman]

"Yes, RadLight includes a specially advanced spyware which is designed to steal your soul, your cat (or dog) and to report the porn sites you visit each evening to your wife. If your pet is near your computer this advanced spyware will scan it (like in Star Trek, using light stream - that's why it is called Rad LIGHT) and steal your pet (then sell it for thousands of dollars on a black market)

I think you should make the whole DivX community aware of this !!!

... and I know what I am talking about, I coded it "

Ouch that's gotta hurt Yeah DAvanger you're creating a decent society (no more porn) and I guess one without pets

[benedict]

Just Curious

I'm running RadLight 3.03 (R5). I've been told that this spyware started in the version following this one (which is why I didn't download the new one, by the way).

Is this the case, or did the spyware start earlier than that?



And has anyone mentioned this to the folks at AdAware?

[kevin abq]

Killer spyware remover

I've been running Ad Aware for about a year, and I recently stumbled onto a new app that gets ALL spyware, including the little shared cookies. It's called Pest Patrol version 3.2 and it cleaned out a whole lot of spyware that Ad Aware had been ignoring all this time. You can desensitize it if you want to allow those spy cookies, but I personally don't want every merchant out there knowing what other sales sites I've been to recently. I'm funny that way, I guess

[admin]

Spyware profiles users so that they "can deliver high value offers" (http://www.gator.com/help/gatorfaq.html#disclosed)

Don't you want to give away your rights on privacy, so that you can save two bucks on something you don't need?

[kevin abq]

Privacy

admin,

I love the way they couch the true meaning of the spyware in sales pap! "...so we may customize your whole shopping experience" Hello !! Did I ask for a "customized" shopping experience? Customize this !!(I scream as I rudely gesture with a body appendage)

Seriously, it's scary how we have slowly given away our rights. It happens a little at a time, but viewed from a larger perspective it's frightening. For example, I work at a national nuclear weapons research lab in New Mexico and every morning a legal banner appears when an employee first starts his web browser. It says, basically, that we should have no expectation of privacy when using a Department of Energy computer. We can be monitored at any time with no legal recourse and downloading inappropriate material is cause for dismissal. Fine. I don't have a problem with that. It's their equipment, and I'm on their time. Besides, they're up front with it ...I always know where I stand. On my home PC, that's a different matter. I DO expect privacy unless I willingly give it up. I don't want web pages to "know I'm coming" so they can tailor the advertising according to my last site visits. That may be fine with "Gay - Oh - Hell!" (AOL, training wheels for the web), but more astute web surfers know how to find just what they're looking for.

[69FBody]

Originally posted by admin
Spyware profiles users so that they "can deliver high value offers" (http://www.gator.com/help/gatorfaq.html#disclosed)

Don't you want to give away your rights on privacy, so that you can save two bucks on something you don't need?

yeah, that really pisses me too. and its not just online, credit cards companies have been doing it for years, and I just learned that tivo does the same thing, from their privacy statement "The Receiver collects certain types of information from its users, including Anonymous Viewing Information", and what worse, their partners in crime, directTV has your billing info and they can easily put 2 and 2 together and have a complete profile on each user(not exactly 'Anonymous' anymore ).

-Marc

[Hunk]

The ad programs bundled with Radlight are optional arnt they? Or do they install addtional spyware that is not mentioned in the licence agreement?

[admin]

It's not so much that RadLight comes with spyware/adware - it *was* (this no longer happens) the fact that when RadLight was installed, the anti-spyware Ad-Aware program was uninstalled in the process. It's a bit like when a virus disables your virus scanners.

[Hunk]

Thats ok then as long as theres no hiiden spyware cr@p, i thought I was facing the prospect of another rebuild.

[DAvenger]

Hey guys,

Firstly, let me say that RadLight doesn't bundle Gator so the above mentioned "customized shopping experience" doesn't apply here.

Secondly, there is no hidden spyware (as you call it). You must see that the level of disclosure is one of the best in the world. This means, nothing gets installed if you do not want to.

I am deeply sorry for the users who simply click NEXT NEXT NEXT and then complain we didn't tell them about ads.

The standard version includes opt-out advertising client called SaveNow (http://www.whenu.com) and domain name tool New.Net (http://www.new.net)

The special edition comes in two variants. Either as an ad supported version by Save! (http://www.whenu.com) or as a paid version for $20 (without ads and with many advantages).

If you can read you can't get wrong and install something you do not want to.

Take care,
DAvenger

[admin]

Info about SaveNow :

http://www.safersite.com/PestInfo/S/SaveNow_Adware.asp

Collects info on user’s gender, age, what area the person resides, and his or her e-mail address which they share with others. Other info collected: referrers (HTTP Referrers, Top-level Domains, Search Engines, Keywords, Quality Index, Frequency Index, Newsgroup Referrers, and E-mail Referrers), visitor statistics (Major ISPs, Hostnames, Browsers, OSes, Countries, Timezones, Plug-Ins, Screens, Colors, Java, and JavaScript), and more.

DAvenger, have you tried other forms of revenue? If your site is popular, then you can server pop-up/unders, which should generate enough money for hosting (web pages - you can rely on some software download/archive sites for the actual file).

[admin]

Also, I actually prefer if the adware is integrated into the software, like say GoZilla or eDonkey. This is probably a bit hard to implement into a multimedia player though. Adware like SaveNow is really annoying because not only does it pop up ads at the most inconvenient times, it also cause the system to crash.

Also, how about moving your software from freeware (with adware) to shareware or commercial (with free trial version, or "lite" version).