Spyware Company Transparently Bad Via BitTorrent

Scams

from the keeps-getting-worse dept

Every time we think spyware/adware company Direct Revenue has reached the pinnacle of perversion, they raise the bar again. You’ll remember these folks as the ones who brought you tons of slimy spyware tactics, all while claiming to be transparent. They eventually got sued for their sneaky installs, as well as for removing another spyware vendor’s software. Their “transparency” campaign then turned out to be just a branding exercise that pissed everyone off. It gets worse. Now it has been discovered that Direct Revenue has been spreading its adware surreptitiously through BitTorrent downloads. An affiliate, MMG, which specializes in P2P distributions, has been bundling Direct Revenue’s adware with multimedia files. Of course, the company claims its software launches with “full disclosure,” which is achieved through a vague licensing agreement. So if there’s so much disclosure and transparency, why does the company have to resort to underhanded BitTorrent bundling to get its software on people’s machines? Interestingly, most adware companies slough off criticism onto their affiliates when caught purveying their unwanted goods. In this case, Direct Revenue actually seems to be praising its affiliate. Maybe that is what they mean by transparency.