I try to keep this website free of political viewpoints. But, as an engineer, I can no longer sit by and watch spammers (direct marketers) spying, hacking, and beating up on the Internet community (that's you). There are things you can do to fight back against some of the nastiest dirty tricks.
According to the FunWebProducts End User Licensing agreement: "ALL OF OUR APPLICATIONS COME WITH THE MYWEBSEARCH(tm) BROWSER PLUGIN - A CUSTOMIZABLE BROWSER TOOLBAR WHICH PROVIDES END USERS WITH EASY ACCESS TO SEARCH RESULTS FROM THE BEST SEARCH ENGINES ON THE INTERNET IN JUST ONE CLICK AND ENHANCES YOUR BROWSER EXPERIENCE BY PROVIDING RELEVANT LINKS AND RESULTS IN RESPONSE TO MISSPELLED OR INCORRECTLY FORMATTED BROWSER ADDRESS REQUESTS."
What FunWebProducts actually does - as do a lot of other adware and spyware products - is to make it difficult to uninstall the software as well as hijack your browser by setting your home page to point to other sites. Worse still, FunWebProducts attempts to reset the browser home page should you dare to try to change it.
This story comes from Mark Gibbs, Network World Web Applications Newsletter, 12/10/03
Are you indifferent to being spied on? Does privacy mean nothing to you? Well then, skip to the next section.
For the rest of you, visit LavaSoft Software. They have a most wonderful piece of software called Ad-Aware. It's free and it's wonderful. It scans your computer and removes all those nasty bugs. Their on-line help will explain all the technical jargon. So many millions of people use their software that one marketer, Radlight software, will attempt to delete Ad-Aware from your computer without your knowledge. Radlight 3.03 R5 comes bundled with WhenU's SaveNow and New.net. This is just part of the war which goes on every day for the battle of control and domination of your personal computer. Visit LavaSoft. Download their software. They're good people.
I also strongly suggest downloading SpyBot. Spybot targets running applications and worms, while Ad-Aware targets individual files and cookies. Together, they make a good team. Be sure to check for updates at least once a week. Note: spyware may attempt to disable these cleaning programs because they know they will be detected and removed.
For more information, check out these other fine websites:
One "expert" website, which can guide you through the manual removal and elimination of bugs, worms, and headaches is PC Hell http://www.pchell.com/. Here is a comprehensive, searchable archive of great advice on how to remove the most stubborn worms. When all else fails, give them a visit.
See: http://spybot.safer-networking.de/index.php?lang=en&page=knowledgebase/ripoffs
See: http://camtech2000.net/Newsletters/a_new_spyware_tactic.htm
The program attempts to download updates each time an affected computer boots up, and has been blamed for causing system crashes. Several versions of Xupiter also appear to download other programs, such as gambling games, which later appear in pop-up windows.
It is reported that this virus has taken over Internet browsers on the machines which they infect. It may enter random words into search engines as well. Xupiter has an "uninstall program" which makes matters worse (do not use it).
I'm not even going to ask if you want this "Marketing Tool" removed from your machine. If Ad-Aware doesn't kill it, try visiting http://spybot.eon.net.au/, which you may have to do on an unaffected computer.
I know if I purchase a piece of software, I expect to be able to run it on my computer. Not TurboTax, which forces you to obtain permission to run your software via an "activation key." I also expect that if I replace my computer, or if I need to replace a defective component on my computer, that I will be able to run my software when I turn the machine back on. Not TurboTax, which will force you obtain a new activation key and re-install the software police spyware.
Do these three things. Visit your local accountant for all your tax needs. Boycott TurboTax and programs like it which use SafeCast. And, get the remedy to the spy program by visiting MacroVision and asking them how to remove SafeCast. note: uninstalling TurboTax will not remove SafeCast.
However, blackweb has gained distrust by installing this software without the user's knowledge. Although I routinely check my software installations to NOT automatically check for software updates, blackweb runs quietly in the background anyway. Blackweb has no published privacy policy (unlike hbutz.com, which does). Blackweb is in a folder called "Desktop Messenger/8876480/". Desktop Messenger? That's a funny name for something which updates software.
Blackweb has been accused for downloading spyware and advertising pop-up's, although I have not seen any confirmation of this. I have noticed my personal computer slow down a bit and take longer to boot up with blackweb installed. I have decided to let Spybot remove blackweb, renamed LDMConf.exe to LDMConf.eee, and removed it from my startup folder. Using the add/remove programs did not work. Windows would not let me delete the directory because it was "in use". However, Logitech support says you can simply uncheck the appropriate settings. All this stealth is NOT a good way to install trust.
Under WindowsXP, every DVD you play is quietly reported back to the Father Land, Microsoft.com. Have you been playing Steel Magnolias over and over again? Well, Bill Gates knows how many times you have watched it. He's been taking notes. Windows Media Player under WinXP has been sending a note to Bill whenever you play a movie, along with the serial number of your computer and the title you are watching. If you signed up for the newsletter (silly you), then your email address is sent back to Microsoft every time you play the movie.
Does this irk you or what?! Do you want to REMOVE Windows Media Player from WinXP? Ha Ha - you have to find the secret key in the hidden folder buried in the system directory. Find the hidden folder, turn the key, and WinXP will, only then, offer you the opportunity to cut out the cancer from the add/remove programs menu. See my blog for more details. You just can't make this stuff up.
Windows Media Player for WinXP is the foot-hold for Microsoft's Digital Rights Management (DRM). DRM is just the beginning. It will be followed by IRM, NX and the Palladium operating system. No longer will you enjoy the privacy to run your own software and play your own DVD's. Every function which you perform on your computer will be reported back to Big Brother Microsoft, including writing down grandma's favorite cookie recipe. If you use the latest copy of Office 2003 with IRM technology, that cookie recipe will become the property of the Microsoft Corporation and you will NOT be able to email a copy to anyone else. Think about what I am telling you.
Of course, the wmv codec is pre-installed on every computer you buy. Nice way to nudge out the competition. How do I equate this with extortion? Because if it weren't, Media Player would tell us which codec it was looking for. It does not. It simply says that no codec could be found (not that it looked very hard for it!) It took me a long time to figure this one out, so I'm passing my knowledge onto you.
If you haven't done this already, visit http://www.divx.com/divx/ and download their latest codec. It's free and you will need it sooner or later. This will eliminate 80% of your video playback problems.
until now, that is. Now, pop-up advertising can appear anytime you are connected to the Internet. This is not a "pop-up" in the traditional definition. You can not avoid these annoying messages, since spammers are hacking into your computer and taking advantage of a security flaw in the Windows operating system (there are many). Don't mind pop-up advertising appearing whenever you are on-line (which is all the time on a Cable or DSL line)? No? Then, you can skip to the next section.
For the rest of us, I really hate people hacking into my computer. Here's the "skinny" on what they're doing. Windows has a messaging service, which allows your company's system administrator to send you messages. Some messages may come from a printer which is out of paper, or a tape drive waiting for a fresh tape. Windows Messaging Service is a useful and essential part of your operating system, which spammers (turned hackers) have begun to assault.
If your computer is on a network, contact your system administrator and ask him or her how to prevent Windows Messaging Service from being exploited by spammers. If you aren't on a network, you can take matters into your own hands. There are three basic approaches to the problem.
Spammers are thieves and should never be trusted. Keep track of the companies you have done business with on-line. Most legitimate marketers will take you off their mailing lists. There are exceptions, like buy.com and tigerdirect.com who will never, ever leave you alone. If you don't recognize the company, delete the SPAM. If it's someone you know, contact them and get off their mailing list. If it's someone you've done business with, but they do not honor your removal request, you have two options.
To get myself off of buy.com's mailing list, I gave them a fake email address and quit doing business with them. To get off tigerdirect.com's mailing list, I faxed all their SPAM back to them until I annoyed them more than they annoyed me.
Nearly all spammers, even the legitimate "marketers," use fake return addresses. Don't bother to reply. You are wasting your breath. If you want to take an active part in preventing SPAM, and not just hit the <DEL> key, visit Spam Cop. This is the best service for providing email and SPAM filtering. Spam Cop's filters are intelligent and can learn to sniff out over 90% of SPAM entering your in-box. Spam Cop provides many options, including Web-based email, mail forwarding, and can even file SPAM complaints on your behalf. You can use Spam Cop as your primary email address or in conjunction with your existing email address. It's not a perfect system; it's not a perfect world. It's worth a visit.
Not all spammers are con artists pushing penis enlargement pills and pornography. Take a look at a recent patent application submitted by a company which may surprise you, AT&T
A system and method for circumventing schemes that use duplication detection to detect and block unsolicited e-mail (spam.) An address on a list is assigned to one of m sublists, where m is an integer that is greater than one. A set of m different messages are created. A different message from the set of m different messages is sent to the addresses on each sublist. In this way, spam countermeasures based upon duplicate detection schemes are foiled.
In other words, AT&T is developing a technology which defeats junk mail filters. I have one thing to say to AT&T - Remember what happened to AGIS (Apex Global Information Services)? They were a big and arrogant communications company with a roomful of lawyers and serious financial assets. AGIS took this similar attitude of stepping over people like we were ants. AT&T will not last nearly as long.
There are also the evil "third party" cookies. Over Ninety percent of "third party" cookies spy on you. They track your surfing habits and report back to on-line "marketers" how many times you visit a webpage or a website. They quietly gather information about your personal habits, while seedy characters in a dark room quietly scribble notes about you and re-sell this information as "Marketing Data" - for a profit. Those who associate your name with your surfing habits can be eliminated by Ad-Aware (mentioned in the Spyware section above. And, those who just make a profit by quietly observing your habits, anonymously, can be dealt with on an individual basis.
Do you care that your surfing habits are being recording and that people are making a profit by selling this information about you? No? Then, you may skip to the next section. For the rest of us, I hate being spied on. I don't let anyone make a profit by reselling intelligence information about me unless I get a kick-back. There are two things which you can easily do to reduce or eliminate the collection of marketing data about you.
In Internet Explorer, version 6 and above, Microsoft provides "Privacy Settings." For AOL users, you receive the same privacy benefits and freedom from being spied on. You may choose to accept or reject cookies based upon what the collection entity does with your information e.g. their published Privacy Policy. There is now a standard, called the P3P privacy policy which tells the browser what data is being collected, how it is being used, how you can stop the collection of this data, whom you can talk to in the event of a dispute, and gives you mechanisms to stop the data collection process based upon a criteria or entirely. With Windows, visit Internet Options -> Privacy.
Note that raising your defenses too high might prevent some on-line banking and shopping cart software from working. So, use the power wisely. My personal preference is to eliminate all "Third Person" cookies. Why should a website, which I am not visiting, wish to place a cookie on my computer? I can't think of a good reason, which is why I don't let them do it. In your Internet Options -> Privacy settings, click on 'Advanced' and override the P3P settings. Block all "Third Party" cookies. Remember which settings you change. If your shopping cart or on-line banking software quits working, be sure to check your settings and/or restore the browser's default. This will save you some headaches.
Then, computers became faster and electronics became cheaper. With auto-dialers, predictive dialers, and automated machines, my telephone rang all day. I used to receive as many as thirty-five (35) phone calls per day, some at five minute intervals. The phone rang for hours until I picked up the receiver. It was like some kind of cruel torture. Quick! A bell sounded! Time to jump up and buy something from the next high-pressure salesman. I couldn't watch a movie, read a book, cook a meal, or take a shit without the sound of ringing bells and alarms interrupting my peace.
Do you like talking to telemarketers? If you do, you can skip to the next section. For the rest of us in this country, visit The Federal Trade Commission. Seems like they've gotten a few million complaints over the past few years - probably from the same people being harassed daily by SPAM. The Fed's came through for us little guys on this one. Register for the FTC's new Do Not Call List now.
You can say, "Asta la vista, baby!" to telephone solicitors. Violators of your privacy can pay up to $11,000 Eleven-Thousand Dollars. Send a message to The Direct Marketing Association and sign up when it becomes available.
For you lost souls still making a living by annoying the crap out of people - I sympathize with those out of work. Time to move on. Go back to college or something. Do it now. As of today, a mere 18% of the population has signed up for the Do Not Call List. I cannot imagine that this number exceeds the sampling of people who just hang up on telemarketers. Direct marketers weren't going to generate any sales from these fifty million people anyway. So, why are telemarketers finding themselves on the unemployment line? Because it has all been a scam. Telemarketing is the business of annoying and harassing people. It's not about selling goods. It's just a bad idea whose time is drawing to a close.
So, why are we still talking about the "rights of SPAMMERS?" Money. The Golden Rule. He who has the gold makes the rules. We live in a capitalist society, not a democracy. You're fooling yourself. What if SPAM represented the interest of an individual instead of a business? SPAM is akin to shoplifting or picking someone's pocket. Do you think anyone would suggest that shoplifters "regulate themselves?" Our government suggested that SPAMMERS self-regulate. Wow. Can you feel the pain? That's the same sick feeling I get when the The Direct Marketing Association suggests a voluntary usage of their TPS (Telephone Preference Service). They also have a preference list for email as well. I signed up for both, to reduce direct marketing at home. Still, my phone rings all day and my in-box is flooded with shit.
I cut up my A.C.L.U. card when I found out they support SPAM. Our individual, constitutional rights are trampled on every time the U.S. Government introduces a new way to clean up the net - The Computer Decency Act (I and II), and the latest insult, The Child Pornography Prevention Act. Why do we need these laws? Child Pornography is already illegal in this country. How many times must I, as a U.S. Citizen, be stepped in the name of Save the Children! Be wary of any new law which is supposed to protect our innocent children. What children? Why are they in danger? Why do they need so much protection? What are the issues?
SPAM legislation? Oh, that's been held up in the courts for fear of trampling on a SPAMMER'S constitutional right of Free Speech. yea, and I've got a bridge in Brooklyn for sale, cheap.
This law was drafted under the misconception that criminals who are sending spam are looking to the fed's and the DMA for guidance. What a load. All this has done is push most of the spammers off-shore into China and Brazil. Microsoft is leading the way in lawsuits against the spammers with deep pockets - and, more power to them. Yet, the vast majority of spammers are not worth anyone's time to prosecute or sue. So, what about life in the trenches?
We look towards technology for the answer. The "powers that be" are hard at work re-writing the way email works. There are two major concepts to look out for. One is bondedsender. This mechanism verifies the outgoing mail server against the email's claim to be from that domain. i.e. anyone can add a return address of xwth13421@msn.com to send mail. What bonded sender does is ask msn.com if the mail is coming from one of their known mail servers. If not, the email is tagged as being suspect. The mechanism can be based on an XML lookup or by registering with a server.
The second mechanism is domainkeys. This works in a fashion similar to pgp signature. Mail servers receive a private key and a public key. The outgoing mail server signs the mail with its private key while the receiving mail server checks the signature with its public key. If there is not a match, or if there is no signature at all, the email can be tagged as being suspect.
Neither of these mechanisms alone will make all spam vanish from our in-box'es. But, over the next two years, we will have a way to sort incoming email into two categories: 1) Mail from a specific source and 2) Mail which cannot be identified. It will be a significant improvement. By eliminating all mail of unknown origin, we can choose to accept email only from those we can identify and trust.
What can you do? Run anti-virus and anti-spyware software. Install all the latest security patches. Investigate using a firewall program such as BlackIce or use a port-blocking router. Visit your favorite search engine and type 'zombie army' and see what crops up. Stay informed.
Furious about being spammed, used, and spit on by big business, The Direct Marketing Association, and political interest groups? Appalled about being spied on and monitored in the privacy of your own home? Angry that it is still legal in this country to hack into your personal computer - just as long as the hacker is trying to sell you something? Pissed off that your cell phone woke you up at 3:00am to tell you where to buy prescription drugs on-line? You are? Well, you are not alone. Check out some of these fine websites: