[IP] The Berkman Center's StopBadware.org Press Release, Report Release and Federal Trade Commission Complaint]
Begin forwarded message:
From: Andy Oram <andyo@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: December 7, 2006 1:34:44 PM EST
To: Declan McCullagh <declan@xxxxxxxx>, Dave Farber
<farber@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [Fwd: The Berkman Center's StopBadware.org Press Release,
Report Release and Federal Trade Commission Complaint]
This might interest readers of your lists, given its discussion of
modern security risks of casual downloading.
Andy
From: Rebecca Tabasky <rtabasky@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: December 7, 2006 12:31:11 PM EST
To: press-report-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: The Berkman Center's StopBadware.org Press Release, Report
Release and Federal Trade Commission Complaint
Reply-To: press-report-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, Rebecca Tabasky
<rtabasky@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Hello,
Please see the below press release announcing StopBadware.org's
complaint against and report on FastMP3Search.com. Should you have
any questions, please do not hesitate to call me at 617-495-7547 or
call Rob Haralson at 202-463-0013 x204.
All the best,
Becca
________________________________________________________________________
______
For Immediate Release: December 7, 2006
Contact: Rob Haralson for StopBadware.org (202) 463-0013 x204,
rob.haralson@xxxxxxx and
David McGuire for CDT (202) 637-9800, dmcguire@xxxxxxx
StopBadware.org and CDT File Formal Complaint with FTC
Against Spyware Operator
FastMP3Search.com complaint coincides with release of StopBadware.org
report
Cambridge, MA and Washington, DC - 12/7/2006 - StopBadware.org, the
consumer protection initiative developed to combat badware, along
with the Center for Democracy & Technology, today announced they have
filed a formal complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
against FastMP3Search.com.ar for distributing badware to unsuspecting
Internet users through its web-based software download. The complaint
seeks immediate action against its owners and operators to prevent a
wide range of harm to Internet users caused by the software plug-in
distributed on the FastMP3Search.com.ar web site.
Today, StopBadware.org also released a report naming the
FastMP3Search.com.ar Plugin to its “Badware List,” coinciding with
the FTC complaint. This report is the most recent in a series
released by Harvard Law School's Berkman Center for Internet &
Society and Oxford University's Oxford Internet Institute as a part
of an ongoing effort to battle harmful and deceptive programs such as
spyware.
"In the past year, we've come across dozens of malicious programs
available on hundreds of web sites, and without question, the
FastMP3Search.com.ar Plugin tops our list of the worst actors," said
John Palfrey, co-director of StopBadware.org and executive director
of the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard Law School.
"The reason why we are issuing such a critical report on the
FastMP3Search.com.ar Plugin and filing this complaint with the FTC is
because they've combined so many bad things in a single bundle. It's
a parade of horribles. Most notably, the application disables a
user's firewall automatically without informing the user. We
recommend that users do not download the FastMP3Search.com.ar Plugin,
and we urge the FTC to take action to protect consumers from this bad
application.”
Ari Schwartz, deputy director of the Center for Democracy &
Technology, agreed. "Scams like FastMP3Search.com do immeasurable
damage, not just to their own unsuspecting 'customers' but to the
Internet as a whole. Beyond the quantifiable harm they inflict on
their victims, these scam artists strike at the heart of the consumer
confidence that sustains the Internet as a vibrant tool for
communication and commerce," Schwartz said. "Every time the FTC goes
after one of these scammers, it sends an important message to those
who seek to turn a profit by exploiting unsuspecting Internet users."
The complaint and the StopBadware.org report both describe how the
FastMP3Search.com.ar Plugin self-executes the installation of adware
and Trojan horse applications, installs additional undisclosed
software, disables the Windows Firewall, sabotages valid web
addresses for legitimate security companies, changes homepage
settings, and severely impairs computer speed and performance, in
each case without the knowledge or consent of the user.
StopBadware.org’s testing also shows that the FastMP3Search.com.ar
Plugin is virtually impossible for the average user to uninstall.
“The FTC complaint and our report are part of an ongoing effort to
identify bad code on the Internet, so that Internet users won’t have
to retreat to digital walled gardens,” said Jonathan Zittrain,
StopBadware.org co-director and professor of Internet Governance and
Regulation at Oxford University. “The operators of this website have
covered their tracks, and not being able to identify the correct
persons responsible, or even the website’s true country of origin,
makes it more difficult to exert community pressure to get them to
change their ways. By filing a formal complaint with the FTC, we hope
to bring additional effort to bear against rogue sites and software.
The growth of the Internet depends on user confidence. We hope the
Commission, through its authority to challenge practices affecting
commerce that are deceptive and unfair, will investigate the owners
and operators of FastMP3Search.com.ar and take appropriate action.”
Launched in January 2006, StopBadware.org's user-driven online
community serves as a central resource to help educate people about
badware and spotlight those companies who embed these programs into
downloadable software applications. Internet users can visit
StopBadware.org to check whether programs they want to download are
infected with badware and alert others to programs they have
encountered that include malicious software such as spyware,
incessant pop-up ads, or other obtrusive programs.
StopBadware.org is the largest consumer protection initiative
defining and combating bad code and sites and is led by Harvard Law
School's Berkman Center for Internet & Society and Oxford
University's Oxford Internet Institute. Consumer Reports WebWatch
serves as an unpaid special advisor. The initiative is supported by
high-tech companies, including Google, Lenovo, and Sun Microsystems.
For more information, visit http://www.stopbadware.org.
The Center for Democracy and Technology works to promote democratic
values and constitutional liberties in the digital age. With
expertise in law, technology, and policy, CDT seeks practical
solutions to enhance free expression and privacy in global
communications technologies. CDT is edicated to building consensus
among all parties interested in the future of the Internet and other
new communications media. For more information, visit http://
www.cdt.org.
The FTC Complaint was prepared with the assistance of the Berkman
Center’s Clinical Program in Cyberlaw. For more information, visit
http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/home/clinical.
A copy of the formal complaint can be viewed at:
http://stopbadware.org/pdfs/fastmp3_ftc_complaint.pdf
A copy of the StopBadware.org report on FastMP3Search.com can be
viewed at:
http://stopbadware.org/reports/reportdisplay?reportname=fastmp3search
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