Okay, so after my Fishy encounter, I got an e-mail from Eric Zorn, who said he hadn't had that problem. So, in an effort to inform myself further, I did a little research.
The programs installed when you access Fishy--whether you click "yes" or "no" to the prompt--come from a company called Claria, formerly known as Gator. Gator has a long-standing reputation as a bunch of really bad guys, as detailed below.
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From PCPitstop.com:
What does Gator/GAIN do?
As a general rule, Gator applications do a lot more than the original purpose that may have persuaded you to download them. Some of these things are spelled out in Gator's license, that very long document that most users inevitably don't read very carefully.
GAIN displays advertising. A lot of pop-up advertising if you visit popular web sites or search for advertiser's hot words like "auto loan". Our experience was that its advertising was sometimes poorly targeted and therefore unlikely to be helpful.
GAIN interrupts your work. Usually, your computer does things as a result of your own actions. GAIN actions don't follow that pattern. Their ads are often timed to pop up a few seconds after you've finished clicking on a link or entering data, which can be very distracting. If you want some more examples, see our review of Search Scout.
Several Web publishers said they have been approached by L90 or Gator to run such download ads, but they refused out of fear of a consumer backlash. "We thought it was dirty," said one Internet executive who asked to remain anonymous. "It's the kind of thing that makes the phone ring." (cnet.com)
GAIN can install software without your knowledge. With so many security issues on the Internet, it is important to know when and why software is being installed on your system. Our survey shows that most users do not know how GAIN got onto their system, and Gator can install even more software without further notice.
GAIN collects extensive information. Perhaps Gator doesn't know who you are, but it certainly collects a lot of information when you consider all the things that the company lists in its Terms and Conditions. Take our Gator license quiz and see how well you know it.
GAIN uses up valuable system resources. Gator's simple WeatherScope application takes up about 14 megabytes of memory because of the GAIN software that comes with it. It also uses up 15 percent of system resources on Windows Me. On systems with small amounts of memory this can degrade performance or cause system instability.
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Okay. So here we have a piece of software which downloads itself without getting the consent of the user, and does a number of things which go against the wishes of the user, or which the user doesn't know about....
Isn't that the classic definition of a computer virus???
Yet because the assholes behind this "program" send it out under the aegis of "marketing", it's allowed. This isn't marketing--it's the distribution of a virus. The FTC needs to get in on this. These people are not offering the consumer the chance to make an informed decision--and portions of the software install on your computer even if you click "NO" at the prompt. (I know--because I did!)
I look forward to the day when people who put out programs like this are prosecuted just like the virus purveyors. This is NOT a victimless crime, and unless someone warns you about a specific site, you can stumble into one of these sites very easily.
Gator, Claria, or whatever your name is: Get a real job, you jerks. You're a pack of parasites.
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