Advertisers taking over browsers

[Phantasm66]

Oh, you have GOT to be joking! Its bad enough that those pop up windows can appear all over the place, maximum themselves so that they cover all of your desktop, etc....

But you would you feel like a website could apply a skin to your browser at its own command????

Read on.... For this nasty little shocker is comming:

Advertisers taking over browsers

Internet messages may be placed on toolbars soon


ASSOCIATED PRESS


A NEW YORK online ad technology firm, United Virtualities, is preparing to introduce a product that will allow advertisers to automatically change the appearance of Web browsers, usurping some of the functions built into popular browsers designed by Microsoft Corp. and Netscape Communications, a unit of AOL Time Warner Inc.
Weather.com, a unit of Atlanta-based Weather Channel Enterprises, is considering using the new technology on its Web site within the next month, said Paul Iaffaldano, chief revenue officer. The Web site is testing the new product but hasn’t yet committed to using it, he added.
In a demo version of a Weather.com-themed browser prepared by United Virtualities, visitors can see their gray browser toolbars transformed into an image of a setting sun, with the Weather.com logo appearing behind the toolbar icons.
Even the toolbar options would change. The “home” icon on Microsoft’s Internet Explorer browser, for instance, would become a “Weather Channel” icon, steering users back to Weather.com’s main page when they click on it. Sponsored links to other Web sites would replace Internet Explorer tools like “edit” and a link to RealNetworks Inc.’s Real.com Web site. Users don’t have to download any software to set the process in motion.
The commandeering of the Web browser would be the latest in a series of intrusive tactics employed by online advertisers in the last year, often to the annoyance of Web surfers. From pop-up ads to pop-under ads, advertisers have gotten bolder in their quests for attention. United Virtualities’ new product would be one of the boldest attempts yet to expand advertising beyond the browser content window.
While advertisers might drool over the prospect of displaying their brands on a browser toolbar, Internet users might not be so receptive.
“I think it steps over the line of what’s permissible,” said Jakob Nielsen, a Web usability expert and principal with the Nielsen Norman Group, a Fremont, Calif., consulting firm. He hasn’t seen the new technology but it was described to him by a reporter. “Changing software is not permissible. The software is mine.”
United Virtualities calls the product “Ooqa Ooqa,” the nickname of one of the cofounder’s daughters. The firm’s signature product is the “shoshkeles,” named after another daughter of a co-founder. Unveiled last year, shoshkeles uses animation and sound in ads that move across a Web page, sometimes briefly obscuring content. These ads, hawking pet food or automobiles, have cropped up on numerous Web sites in the past year, including Weather.com and Yahoo Inc.
United Virtualities says it has built features into Ooqa Ooqa to mitigate its intrusiveness. Web surfers will always have a clear option to turn off Ooqa Ooqa and go back to their regular browsers, said Ivan Entel, the firm’s chief of staff. In fact, they’ll have the option never to be exposed to the technology again on certain Web sites.
But United Virtualities hopes to convince Web surfers that Ooqa Ooqa is useful, not a nuisance. It could display “utilitarian” tools in the browser toolbar, such as a currency exchange-rate calculator on a financial Web site, Entel said.
“The idea is to enhance the user experience and not deprive him or her of normal features they are used to,” Entel said.
Advertisers may opt for a few different versions of Ooqa Ooqa. They could limit the customized browser to a specific Web site, with the browser reverting to normal form when a user jumps to another Web site.
Or, the browser could retain the advertiser’s brand even when the user visits another site.
United Virtualities is in talks with other Web sites and advertisers to use Ooqa Ooqa, Entel said. He declined to identify them.
Weather.com, which had 11.6 million visitors in February, according to Jupiter Media Metrix, is carefully evaluating Ooqa Ooqa, given the concerns about intrusiveness. “If you interrupt the consumer for no good reason, it’s not effective advertising,” Iaffaldano said.
What do the browser manufacturers think? Netscape already lets people customize its browsers. Its client-customization kit lets Internet-service providers and others insert their logos to replace the Netscape logo in the browser toolbar, or insert specific bookmarks.
Netscape spokesman Derick Mains declined to comment on United Virtualities’ new product because the company hasn’t seen it yet.
Microsoft also lets software developers customize Internet Explorer. The company had no immediate comment.

source: http://www.msnbc.com/news/732865.asp?cp1=1#BODY

 

[boeingfixer]

You know, there should be a law against stuff like that. Thats like invading my privacy.

 

[Phantasm66]

Personally, I am of the opinion that all this spam e-mail, adware, spyware, pop-up windows stuff is just verging on going too far.

Perhaps I will start a pressure group. I am sure that you would all join.

 

[lokem]

Geez.. Those big corps really know how to "diversify" their business and revenue stream. Don't they have enough already!!!??

Hopefully they won't mutate other browsers as well; namely Mozilla, Opera and perhaps even Konqueror and Galeon.

If this gets implemented, it's like watching ads on TV; except in this case, you can't escape the ads... Argh...

 

[XYZ359]

That's going way over the edge for us.

The creators of the internet probably wouldn't want this.

But, seriously, if a law isn't implemented soon, then say goodbye to Internet Explorer. Most people aren't going to put up with it. They'll either switch to another browser or even hack IE. It's bad enough that we see the ads on the websites. I basically still don't click them (I don't), so what's the point of putting ads on my actual browser? My point is, I'm still not going to click it.

Keep it simple, it's not effective advertising.

It's just annoying us very much!!!

 

[uncleel]

Die Pop-Up, Die

Pop-Ups are the Spawn of Hades :evil:

This is the lastest gimmick because revenue has fallen from the traditional banner ads. Guess they took a page out of AOL's playbook, which makes you click No Thanks, get outta my face ½ a dozen times just to get to the browser.

You can fight back by clicking on our sponsors "traditional" ads, & never click on a pop-up

It's so bad now that my host file isn't even working from all the new additions. You might want to try the free version of Pop-Up Stopper www.panicware.com but it also prevents opening multiple browser windows. So I find I deactivate it quite often. Here's the traditional Host File http://www.accs-net.com/hosts/

 

[lokem]

Thanks for the links Unc. I'm glad that Mozilla's able to disable any JavaScript popups. I guess those pple will never know when to stop selling their products..

 

[XYZ359]

I hope it doesn't turn out to be this.



It'll just take longer to load pages and mess up your internet surfing experience.
These "traditional" ad banners and pop-ups are of enough annoyance already.

 

[uncleel]

It's good to have the ad revenue, so please click so they have enough hits to know that ads placed here are worthwhile.

Please visit the 3DS homepage www.3dspotlight.comRead the articles, guides, reviews, tweaks & links.
Also click on our sponsors.

 

[Vehementi]

They should all burnt and run through a giant paper shredder :evil:

I really wish they would knock it off. I've visited sites where one pop-up after another comes up, an endless chain of them. I click "cancel" and another pops up. Cancel again. Another popup.

For those of you using the GAIN DivX pack, I had it installed (read: had) Every once in a while a bar would appear in the corner of my screen, right above the time, and an advertisement would scroll up out of it. I played around a little in my registry, but it turned out I only deleted ONE of the different kinds of ads. Now I use ad-aware every once in a while, which seems to have stopped it. But since I use KaZaA I get popups every once in a while on my screen, advertising this, or that. Of course, I've never clicked on one (well, I have, but only the box with the X in it in the corner)
But god I wish they would just stop. It gets so annoying...
Several companies have been subjecting to hate mail, their tech support address, admin address, comments & suggestions address...everything. Then, with a few, I've actually loaded HDKP (hard drive killer pro :haha: ) into my emails, the automatic execute kind. So if they opened it, which I doubt, their hard drive was low-level formatted in a matter of a few seconds....
I just got one from consumerinfo.com...thank god for alt+f4

 

[uncleel]

Originally posted by Vehementi
:evil: I click "cancel" and another pops up. Cancel again. Another popup.

discussing ANTI Pop-Up Software on this thread-->
Pop-Ups are the Spawn of Hades

 

[Phantasm66]

I've already posted this in Uncleel's Pop up thread, but this is so cool I thought it had to be here as well......

Great story here! Its just sue the SOBs and get rich on them!

Seattle man has telemarketer's number: he gets apology and $500

Tuesday, April 9, 2002

By JANE HADLEY
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER CONSUMER AFFAIRS REPORTER

Ben Schroeter, a Magnolia paralegal and live music Webmaster who hates telemarketing calls, knows that holding companies accountable can be a long, weary struggle.

So he was stunned when his e-mail complaining about an automated message left on his answering machine yielded a $500 check and an apology two weeks later.

"Usually, you have to at least file a suit before they're going to pay up," said Schroeter incredulously.

Under state law, automated dialing and announcing devices that dial a residence and play a recorded message for purposes of a commercial solicitation are illegal. And residents who get such calls are entitled to damages of at least $500 per call. The federal law is similar, said Paula Selis, senior counsel in the state Attorney General's Office.

Selis said she was amazed at the quick response from the company behind the calls, DHS Enterprises of South Euclid, Ohio.

So was Ben Livingston, one of the state's leading battlers against automated dialers, spam and junk faxes.

"I don't think it's ever been that simple (for me)," said Livingston, who says he's collected $2,650 for illegal spam, faxes or automated calls in the past year.

Schroeter's check cleared yesterday.

"Party at my place," he chortled.

The automated call Schroeter got March 15 was on behalf of a Web site, "YourHomeCareer.com," which invites consumers to pay $36 to learn the secret of earning money by working at home. A home page testimonial says that "Anthony P., a former corporate employee, now works from home and earns over $35,000 per month!"

Schroeter, who already works at home and consequently hates telemarketing calls more than the average person, is dubious about the site's promises.

The phone at DHS Enterprises was perpetually busy yesterday, and the company could not be reached.

When the mail carrier delivered the certified mail to Schroeter last week, his first thought was: "Oh my God! This guy's going to sue me now." He hesitated about signing for the letter, but then decided to take the plunge.

Five minutes after seeing the $500 check, Schroeter was heading to the bank to cash it. Then he e-mailed and called family and friends to exult about it. "Woo hoo!" he wrote.

Washington state was one of 21 states that defended the law's constitutionality before the U.S. Supreme Court in a 1993 case. The court upheld it.

"We have not seen an increase (in illegal calls) recently," Selis said. "They come and they go. Washington consumers are remarkably savvy, in that when they do start coming in, we do start getting complaints."The spur for the 1986 law, Selis said, is that in some cases, people could not hang up on the prerecorded messages, which prevented them from making emergency calls or conducting their business.

Schroeter's e-mail message to DHS was short but not especially sweet:

"This email is to notify you that I received an invasive and illegal automated telephone solicitation this afternoon from your company DHS Enterprises, or 'Your Home Careers.' The use of Automatic dialing and announcing devices to Washington State residents is illegal. Your company now owes me $500 by state law. I have preserved the message that was left on my answering machine as proof for the court."

Schroeter included a copy of the law in his e-mail and also included a "cc:" to an assistant attorney general who is a friend of Schroeter's but who has nothing to do with consumer protection or telecommunications.

"My thinking is that when they received this and saw that I had cc'd a real person in the AG's office, they might have thought, 'You know, we really don't need an AG from any state breathing down our necks right now, because we've got these $36 payments coming in."

Schroeter says he got the inspiration to pursue the call from reading about Livingston's successes.

Livingston, vice president of Innovative Access, a Ballard Internet service provider, says that he has won judgments or settlements of more than $9,000 for illegal spam, telemarketing and junk faxes, of which he's succeeded in collecting $2,650.

"My advice would be to take action," he says. "In the case of junk faxes and telemarketing, it's quite possible in the foreseeable future you can cut down on a lot of this stuff. In the longer-term sense, I think it's also true with e-mail spam. If people don't take action, nobody's going to stop doing it."

Livingston's cases are detailed on a Web site http://smallclaim.info which even includes audio recordings of some of his court sessions.

Livingston believes that companies that want to stay in business are more likely to settle or pay up than fly-by-night companies. He has used several collection agencies, but so far without success.

"I filed one case where their lawyer contacted me and said, 'Come down to my office and I'll give you a check.' It's never been so easy as just sending e-mail.

"Yeah, I was pretty impressed by that guy (Schroeter)."


IT'S THE LAW

The law against automated dialing and announcing devices is part of the state's telecommunications law and can be found at RCW 80.36.400.


The law describes an automatic dialing and announcing device as one that automatically dials telephone numbers and plays a recorded message once a connection is made. Making such a call is illegal if it involves commercial solicitation, which is defined as the unsolicited initiation of a telephone conversation for the purpose of encouraging a person to purchase property, goods, or services.


The ban applies to all commercial solicitation intended to be received by telephone customers within the state.


A violation of the law is a violation of the state's Consumer Protection Act.


The law says that "It shall be presumed that damages to the recipient of commercial solicitations made using an automatic dialing and announcing device are five hundred dollars."

source: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/65795_collect09.shtml

 

[Sheariah]

This really should be illegal!

As I understand it, what United Virtualities is doing is giving advertisers an easy way to hijack browsers and take control of users' computers without ther permission or knowledge, as well as prevent the computer owners from changing or deleting these controls! And then they're so smug & condescending to say the average user is not smart enough to know how to handle cookies. Hey advertisers, if you want to loose customers, just call them stupid to their faces. If any advertiser wants to buy me a computer and pay the monthly internet access charges, then they can install whatever they want on it. But when I paid for the computer and I pay the monthly internet fees, then I should have the say-so about what it is used for and what gets put on it. Yes, I like to shop online, but I don't want someone following me home and spying on me in hopes to find out what I bought from other places and guessing what they think I might buy. If they want to know, all they have to do is ask me. Why don't all the walk-in stores install cameras & microphones all over the stores and on the shopping carts to record everything the shoppers do and waste they're precious shopping time annoying them with sales pitches for stuff they are not interested in? How much would you buy in a store if a sales clerk jumped in behind you and followed you everywhere looking over your shoulder and contantly suggesting all sorts of unrelated things for you to buy from the time you walk through the door until you leave. But what United Virtualities is doing with it's Ooqa Ooqa is kind of like a "virtual" extreme home make-over that replaces your home with a store like the one you are shopping in while you're "out" shopping, so that when you try to return "home", you're back in the store! I don't think that was ever intended by the old cliche: "You can never go home again".

 

[a1nerd]

Spyware isnt illegal? For something so damaging to your computer i'm surprised theres no laws against it.

 

[RealBlackStuff]

People, before you answer to any post, please look at the DATE.
This thread was last used in April 2002, three years ago!
You been asleep al that time?