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CNN : What's fair in online love and ads?
October 5, 2001 Posted at: 2:47 p.m. EDT (1847 GMT)
By Tom Spring
(IDG) -- If you think online ads are getting more annoying,
you're not alone.
Consumer advocates are up in arms over "adware" -- a new class
of advertising products that typically installs on your PC as part of a software
download. Once it's there, adware does tricks like putting commercial links
and ads on Web pages you visit -- without the site's consent.
Recent adware controversies have centered on Gator and Ezula,
two firms that bundle their adware with dozens of popular programs, including
the game Snood, utilities like WeatherBug, and file-sharing software including
Kazaa and AudioGalaxy Satellite.
Gator covers banner ads on a site with ads from its clients.
The program also sends periodic reports to Gator's server about the Web sites
you've visited and the ad banners you've clicked, so Gator can bring you ever-more-relevant
ads. According to the company's lengthy privacy policy, the data Gator collects
is anonymous and will not be sold.
Ezula's TopText, by contrast, works by overlaying hyperlinks
onto whatever Web page you're viewing. While visiting ESPN.com, for example,
you might see a yellow TopText link on the word football that, if clicked,
would take you to a competing sports site.
The trend shows few signs of abating. Ezula and Gator say that
their advertisers are very pleased with results, and they say that millions
of PCs have loaded the software. ..
Read
the full article at CNN.com ..
