[at-l] AOL

[camojack at comcast.net]

I liken AOL to a virus in many respects...one that people willingly load onto their hard drives, no less. It insinuates itself throughout a number of applications...
-"Camo"

-------------- Original message -------------- 
From: "Martin Fors" <revmrf at verizon.net> 

> I discovered this, today. Rusty 
> 
> 
> 
> August 28, 2006 (IDG News Service) -- AOL LLC's free 
> Internet client software has earned the company a slap on the wrist from 
> StopBadware.org, a consortium set up to combat malicious software. In a 
> report set to be released Monday, the group advises users to steer clear of 
> the software because of its "badware behavior." 
> 
> The report 
> blasts 
> the free version of AOL 9.0 because it "interferes with computer use," and 
> because of the way it meddles with components such as the Internet Explorer 
> browser and the Windows taskbar. The suite is also criticized for engaging 
> in "deceptive installation" and faulted because some components fail to 
> uninstall. 
> 
> The main problem is that AOL doesn't properly inform users of what its 
> software will do to their PCs, said John Palfrey, StopBadware.org's 
> co-director. "We don't think that the disclosure is adequate and there are 
> certain mistakes in the way the software is architected in terms of leaving 
> some programs behind," he said. "When there are large programs, some of 
> which stay around after you've thought you've uninstalled them, they need to 
> be disclosed to the user." 
> 
> Because AOL has taken steps to address StopBadware.org's concerns, the group 
> has held off on officially rating AOL 9.0 as badware, Palfrey said. 
> 
> Still, the report is not good news for AOL, and puts them in some less than 
> savory company. Software previously targeted in StopBadware.org reports 
> includes Kazaa, the Jessica Simpson Screensaver and the Starware News 
> Toolbar. StopBadware keeps an archive of reports on their site 
> . 
> 
> Backed by tech companies such as Google Inc., Lenovo Group Ltd. and Sun 
> Microsystems Inc., StopBadware.org bills itself as a "Neighborhood Watch" of 
> the Internet. It is run out of two well-respected university departments: 
> Harvard University's Berkman Center for Internet & Society in Cambridge, 
> Massachusetts, and University of Oxford's Internet Institute in the U.K. 
> 
> Monday's report states that AOL is taking steps to address StopBadware.org's 
> concerns, and that the company has confirmed that there is a design flaw in 
> its uninstaller software. 
> 
> An AOL spokesman said that it is "clearly ridiculous" to categorize his 
> company's software as badware. "No company has done more to fight malware 
> than AOL, and millions of users are protected by our software every day," 
> said AOL's Andrew Weinstein in an email message. "We're reviewing the 
> suggestions made in the report, and we are taking steps to address them, as 
> they mostly involve minor UI issues." 
> 
> AOL has been struggling through some major changes of late. 
> 
> It has opened up its once-private network, offering the AOL 9.0 software for 
> free in a bid to attract new users and boost online advertising as its 
> traditional subscribers have fled. The company now has 17.7 million U.S. 
> subscribers, a drop of 3.1 million over the past year. 
> 
> Last week, three AOL executives including CTO Maureen Govern left the 
> company in the wake of a scandal over AOL's public disclosure of more than 2 
> million search queries made by 650,000 AOL users. 
> 
> AOL has also come under fire for licensing its free antivirus software, 
> called Active Virus Shield, with what anti-adware advocates view as 
> excessive advertising and data gathering provisions. 
> 
> Since the search disclosure, AOL has taken steps to restore consumer trust, 
> said CEO Jon Miller in a recent e-mail to employees. "There is a tremendous 
> responsibility that goes along with our mission of serving consumers 
> online," he wrote. "We have to earn their trust each and every day and with 
> each and every action we take." 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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