Washington Post: Advertising.com Inc., a unit of Time Warner Inc.’s America Online, agreed to settle federal charges that the company offered free security software without adequately disclosing that it also came with adware.
Under a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission, Advertising.com will be required to “clearly and prominently” disclose that consumers who install the program, SpyBlast, will receive pop-up ads based on their Internet browsing habits.
The FTC complaint charged that when consumers install SpyBlast—a software intended to protect against hackers—they are not required to read the agreement alerting users about receiving potential marketing messages.
Adware and spyware have become major nuisances for consumers. Both types of programs typically are installed with little or no disclosure. While adware is less dangerous than spyware, consumers complain adware programs bombard them with pop-up ads, slow their computers and are hard to remove.
