Sip Posted June 27, 2004 Report Share Posted June 27, 2004 Some info here Excerpt from Spyware Weekly Newsletter: Both AOL's internet software and the AOL Instant Messenger program (AIM) are force installing unwanted software called Viewpoint Media Player on people's computers. There is no option to not install Viewpoint. In fact, if you remove Viewpoint, it will be reinstalled the next time you load AOL! I could hardly believe it when the first person reported this at the message board. Then a dozen more people showed up to report the same thing. Viewpoint Media Player displays certain multimedia content over the internet. I discovered this software on my own machine last April and I DID NOT AT ALL like finding it there. The reason for that can be found in their privacy policy: The software creates a unique tracking number ("Customer Unique Identifier" is their term). This number and other information is transmitted, without asking, to Viewpoint servers. The software downloads updates and installs them on the computer, also without asking. The privacy policy states that "The Viewpoint Media Player will soon be capable of tracking information about the content it displays and how the user interacts with it. When the Viewpoint Media Player displays Viewpoint content, it tracks the URL it is served from, as well as Viewpoint file data tagged by the author in XML. This data can include, but is not limited to: the names of objects and textures displayed, and the names of animations invoked." ... There are other things that AOL software does. For instance, some software such as Netscape and ICQ 2000b will insert free.aol.com into Internet Explorer's "Trusted" security zone. When you put a web site in the "Trusted" zone, Internet Explorer will allow that site to download, install and execute any piece of software completely without interaction with the user. The reason for AOL inserting that entry became clear when we started spotting ActiveX files from free.aol.com in people's HijackThis log files at the message board. AOL is inserting their web site into the "Trusted" zone so that they can install software without the user knowing they are doing it! ... Basically, proves my old theory that Germans love David Hastlehoff ... eh, I mean AOL sucks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJ Posted June 28, 2004 Report Share Posted June 28, 2004 Indeed. I keep uninstalling it, and it keeps coming back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vava Posted June 29, 2004 Report Share Posted June 29, 2004 Indeed. I keep uninstalling it, and it keeps coming back. That would frustrate me to no end. I'm surprised many 'regular' computer users haven't already sent their machines out the window! (Oh, by regular users, I mean folks with no formal education with regards to computing - and so I include myself in this group) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sip Posted June 29, 2004 Author Report Share Posted June 29, 2004 Most "regular" users have been conditioned to adapt to the computer's needs and wants as opposed to having it adapt to their needs. It's a really disturbing trend that I hope will go away one day. But we are nowhere near there yet. Edit: To clarify ... it's not like that they had a choice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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