Adware Given Out With Children's Games In Cereal Packages?

from the seems-just-a-bit-sleazy dept

The details in this article are just a bit confusing, but it sounds like a children's game software give-away in a box of Nutri-Grain cereal in Australia included some adware. Unfortunately, it's not clear if it's really adware, as it's described in the article as simply asking the user "to link to a US-based internet casino." I'm not exactly sure what they mean by asking the user to link to a site. Later on in the story, they suggest that it "installs a link" to this casino. Does it just mean an advertisement appears? Or, as the "installs a link" implies, that it's dumping some sort of adware or just an icon on the computer? I'm also a bit surprised that they talk about a "US-based internet casino" - as such things still are illegal around here, and most online casinos are anything but US-based. Kellogg's has apologized and offered a refund, but said that after a "thorough investigation by independent IT professionals", they determined the link doesn't work - though, someone else in the article claims it works just fine. Again, what sort of "thorough investigation by independent IT professionals" is needed to see if a link works? Still, there's a chance that Kellogg's may find themselves in a bit of hot water as it's illegal to provide any online gambling in the country, and this could be considered as breaking that law.

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