Spyware Fights Back 680
sparcv9 writes "According to the latest issue of Spyware Weekly, the Radlight media player not only searches your hard drive for Adaware, but will uninstall it if found. How do they attempt to legitimize this? By including a clause in their EULA that reads: 'You are not allowed to use any third party program (e.g Ad-aware) to uninstall application bundled with RadLight. Such programs will be removed. If you want to uninstall them, you may do so via Add/Remove in Windows' Control Panel.' Yes, that's right. Not only do they say you are not allowed to use Adaware to remove their bundled apps, but they will forcibly remove Adaware for you to make sure you don't!" There's also a Newsbytes story.
Radlight? (Score:3, Funny)
In similar news... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Get rid of all spyware (Score:3, Funny)
jw.
Re:this is not legal (Score:5, Funny)
By downloading and using this program, I agree to give to the author, on demand, my entire computer system -- including software, licenses for said software and all data contained on said computer. Should licensee decline to abide for the agreement, the licensee will, in addition to the computer system mentioned above, be required to pay legal fees............
(ianal).
Core wars! (Score:1, Funny)
How to Combat this (Score:3, Funny)
Step two: Run player, see if the company isn't bs'ing
Step Three: if adaware == missing Then change facial.expresson to 'Shocked'
Step Four: Download a new version of AdAware that can disable the player's abilities. Step Five: Laugh. You have beaten the system, my friend! Today is a good day!
whats next .. (Score:2, Funny)
"Any attempt to uninstall our software will result in an uninstall upon reinstallation
Re:Foolish move (Score:5, Funny)
...and then post on
"If we're the brains of this operation, what's marketing - the boner?"
Re:this is not legal (Score:2, Funny)
on another note, just thinking of M$ and standard makes me giggle...
Re:Software companies think they can do anything.. (Score:3, Funny)
Want EULAs to be declared invalid? Write a popular software package that everybody wants, and then one day, change the EULA to say, "You may not use this software if you are not white." (Or "if you are white"...whatever, the point is to be arbitrarily racist.) If that's a little too radical for you, make it say, "You may not use this software if you are an employee of Microsoft or the U.S. Federal government".
I suspect that the public outcry would have a lot more people scrutinizing EULAs very quickly.
Or write an EULA that for one customer out of 100 comes up with, "You agree to allow us to publish your credit card numbers on the web for all to use." (As it turns out, this isn't very far from a lot of spyware EULAs, it's just much more to-the-point)
In any case, abuse of EULAs has become so widespread that I suspect they're going to end up getting regulated, anyway. Let's hope it's sooner rather than later.
Re:Terrible company (Score:3, Funny)
This is why Hackers are SO important! (Score:4, Funny)
Aside from not owning a car, (which, btw, is an entirely viable option more people should look into), Joe-average can do very little.
In the software universe, however, there are thousands of people who know how to program well enough to FIX intentional, greed-related corporate bullshit problems, and distribute those fixes to anybody who takes the relatively small amount of time required to learn how to implement them.
Why are Hackors demonized by the media? Because they represent an annoying burr, a standing nail which refuses to be brushed away or hammered down. And through this, humanity is prevented from being jammed, (quite so quickly and neatly), into the square holes all neatly prepared for us. Hackors get in the way of the plans of the Control Reality which are being implemented around our ears as we speak.
I am not a programmer. I am not a hacker. But I am proud that this aspect of humanity still exists. I am proud that people are having FUN in this way! (All important!) I salute those who know how to make the machines work for the common benefit, and who have the courage to do so!
A tip of the hat to you all!
-Fantastic Lad
Re:this is not legal (Score:2, Funny)
Reach Fer It, Yuh Varmint... (Score:3, Funny)
Thar just ain't enuf room on this Hard Drahv fer both o' us...Draw!
It doesn't stop at the software, folks. (Score:5, Funny)
RadLight offers you and your family a whole line of fine merchandise at the RadLight Online Store [cafepress.com] . If you've ever felt like you've had too much voluntary control over your daily routine, why not try integrating some of their fine products into your lifestyle?
Take, for instance, this fashionable long-sleeve RadLight t-shirt [cafepress.com] . It's luxuriously soft, 100% cotton -- and it forcibly ejects from your wardrobe any third-party sweaters, jackets, etc. you might mistakenly slip over it on one of those chilly summer nights. No more hassles choosing what to wear, and think of all the closet space you'll free up.
Or how about this bright and cheery RadLight mug [cafepress.com] ? Guaranteed to keep your favorite beverage piping hot... as long that beverage is RadLight-branded Maxwell House Regular Roast. All other liquids will be drained through an emergency discharge valve at the bottom of the mug. (Please note: by filling the cup, the consumer absolves RadLight of all liability for any leg/groin/other scalding that may occur.)
And, of course, there's always RadLight's crowing achievement: extra-roomy RadLight boxer shorts [cafepress.com] . All-cotton, open-fly, and completely impervious to access by any third parties. That's right, only you or an authorized RadLight employee (or an employee/consultant of any of its licensed subsidiaries and partners) will be able to get at what's behind that RadLight logo. Now how's that for peace of mind?
Don't thank them now. That slightly pained smile on your face will be praise enough.
Re:Then CNET should delist this (Score:1, Funny)
Re:Radlight? (Score:3, Funny)
Yeah, right. (Score:5, Funny)
during the last few months the popularity of word "spyware" has raised amazingly. Actually, only a few peopla know what the programs considered as "spyware" do, but the name just sounds good, doesn't it? SPYWARE... SPYWARE... hmm, I'm pretty scared... maybe I should stop watching the american thrillers. Someone is spying me... he knows what I'm doing, knows my girlfriends telephone number, knows where do I live, he just controls my life...HE KNOWS !!!! But take a closer look at the "spyware" programs. e.g. SaveNow. SaveNow HELPS people when bying over the internet. You want to buy a pack (a few hundreds) of recordable CDs.... searching on the net.. AH, here...Oh, wait a moment, a popup window appears. When I click
on the popup-window I can buy a pack of my favourite CDs and save up to 15% That's cool. I would even call it "HELPWARE". I'm happy.
Oh, so this is one of those people who actually enjoy being interrupted during dinner to recieve a SPECIAL OFFER from company X if they switch phone companies. Now I see, they aren't telemarketers, they're tele-HELPERS!
I got my CDs, some people got some money and everyone is happy. Some people say it collects some information and sends it over the internet... BUT. Has anyone "recorded" the data sent over the net? I use it and didn't notice any data being stolen or anything happened to my data.
Likewise, this guy must be a-okay with having hidden cameras being in his shower. After all, if the data was wired right out of the house and on to the internet straight to some hidden-camera porn site, has anybody in the neighborhood "recorded" that pictures were sent from his household out over the net? He used the shower and might have noticed the camera, but that must be okay because he didn't actually see the pictures leaving the residence.
I'm not going to go on. You already understand the truth, and so does this dishonest money-grubbing scumbag.
Clearly, it's a good George Lucas movie plot... (Score:2, Funny)
Re:this is not legal (Score:5, Funny)
continued.... (Score:2, Funny)
^Evil^ Inc.'s EULA: (Score:3, Funny)
"By existing in the same time-space continuum as this license agreement, you automatically transfer entire ownership of your being, body and belongings to ^Evil^ Inc. You now exist to serve ^Evil^ Inc, and therefor must comply will all commands. You will like, love, and worship ^Evil^ Inc. Click 'OK' below to relay your coordinates to our 'New Slave Arrival Department' for immediate pickup."
Re:this is not legal (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Terrible company (Score:2, Funny)
Virus with a EULA (Score:3, Funny)
"By hitting agree, you agree to let the virus in question destroy your hard drive right after it gets done spaming the network and trying to send itself to everyone in your address book. You also have given us rights to your first born son and any virgin females in your house."
Re:this is not legal (Score:2, Funny)
Re:this is not legal (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Terrible company (Score:2, Funny)
His real name is Oynfvhf Sybpu
Re:this is not legal (Score:1, Funny)
Email to RadLight (Score:5, Funny)
By accepting this message into your email system you agree to allow the embedded script to remove all data, applications and operating systems from your network.
Removal process started.
Have a nice d#* 7j
Re:Radlight? (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Forever Loop (Score:2, Funny)
Mutually assured de-installation? :)
Re:this is not legal (Score:1, Funny)
Re:A message from the RadLight Admin (Score:2, Funny)
one of these things just doesn't belong.
Can you tell which thing is not like the others,
By the time I finish my song?
---
Dum de dum.