CNet's Download.com secretly installs adware with open/free downloads

CNet's Download.com has been secretly installing adware alongside the free and open source software in its archive, in violation of its own stated policies, which claim "zero tolerance" for adware. EFF has some harsh words and stern advice for the company to make this right.

So, CNET, here's what you need to do to really make it right:
Stop bundling adware into your installer. Failing that,
1. Rewrite your adware policy to admit that Download.com no longer has a “zero tolerance” policy for bundled adware, and make the change public, so users and developers know about it.
2. If you are going to allow ads, make sure they are not deceptive. This means it should be very clear that the ad is entirely separate from the install process (and no “accept” buttons where “next step” should be), and that the developer of the software the user actually wants has nothing to do with the advertised app.
3. Clean up the mess: prominently offer, on the front page of the Download.com site and as part of the ads themselves, to assist users with uninstalling any advertised software they may have unknowingly installed.
4. Right now, many users won’t know they can download the software without the adware. Direct download should be the default process, and users who choose to use the Download.com installer should know, before they do, that the process will include advertising or other software they might not want.
5. Until the “opt-in” procedure is well-established, cease bundling adware for commercial as well as open source applications.

The Download.com Debacle: What CNET Needs to Do to Make it Right

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http://www.facebook.com/drbuzz0 Stephen Packard

Download.com used to be a great place to get freeware programs. It used to be you would just download them like any other file. Recently they started making you install their adware-containing download manager.

I would no longer recommend them to anyone.
- http://profiles.google.com/livingcropcircle Emmett Brown
  
  Yeah I remember… think it was called winfiles. It was part of cnet a decade ago. Good stuff. They had straight links to source sites. They’ve fallen pretty far apparently.
  - http://aqfl.net Ant
    
    Also, CNET bought versiontracker.com to use for download.com. Are there any good Windows sites like it that show the newest releases? :(
MrRocking

Completely unsurprised…
- http://aqfl.net Ant
  
  And old news since they did this before.
quietstorms

This is funny. Nobody knows that this was going on for years at Cnet? I paid extra for my iMac so I wouldn’t have to go through crap.
- http://twitter.com/invertedlens InvertedLens
  
  /snicker
- Cowicide
  
  I paid extra for my iMac so I wouldn’t have to go through crap.
  
  quietstorms, from what I’ve seen they didn’t do this to Mac users, just complacent Windows users because Mac users would have probably burned CNET to the ground.
  
  Also, if you think you paid “extra” for your iMac you should compare the specs more closely. There’s lots of features embedded in Macs that pull them FAR ahead in overall value and many of the competition is deceptive and allusive about that so many consumers fall for it (over and over again).
  
  quietstorms, check your Mac for adware. You probably don’t have any.
  - http://profiles.google.com/livingcropcircle Emmett Brown
    
    *ahem* or any you can find. Linux wins again.
    - Cowicide
      
      Agreed, Linux has many advantages especially in security and that’s why I use Linux on my Mac in Parallels for certain work.
      
      I look forward to the day when Linux’s disadvantages stop outweighing the advantages for my own workflow (as well as for most other people) and I can switch to using Linux full time.
      
      In security, Linux wins hands down. Practicality is quite another matter.
cservant

Secretly? I thought they were doing that for ages.
Matt G

You’re a week late to the witch burning. CNET’s response here:
http://download.cnet.com/8301-2007_4-57338809-12/a-note-from-sean-regarding-the-download.com-installer/. Disclosure: I work for CNET’s parent company, and there are a lot of us internally who aren’t fans of the installer, but the reaction has been wildly overblown.
- Cowicide
  
  I work for CNET’s parent company … the reaction has been wildly overblown
  
  CNET probably hopes you stop “helping”. Saying crap like that just makes people think you folks have learned nothing. Which is probably true.
  - townandgownie
    
    And I see they didn’t agree to change their social engineering techniques to trick users into installing the adware software – like button placement and styling.
    
    I guess the drive for moneytizing the Internet overrides any common sense for companies.
- cfuse
  
  Oh, that’s right: the people that you are foisting this crapware on aren’t your customers, are they? You are selling them, their eyeballs and their machines to other companies without their consent or knowledge. No wonder you don’t give a damn about them.
  
  Typical corporate parasitism at work. Typical blindness to it in your attitude (why else would you go out of your way to jam your foot in your mouth as you have with this anti-PR statement, if not for sheer bias and ignorance?).
  
  I own my machine, not you. Kindly get stuffed.
http://twitter.com/Flesh_of_Sadie Flesh of Sadie

LOL, cnet’s been at the top of my hosts.txt file for YEARS. I haven’t missed those grubby fuggers one bit.
Tony Evans

I guess I’m done with them.
- Finnagain
  
  yup
wygit

I don’t think the reaction’s been overblown; the issue is a whole lot more than nmap, and I think the “note from Sean” is B.S.

The issue isn’t new…

Here’s a report from September..
http://forums.cnet.com/7723-12543_102-543019/what-is-with-cnet-installer-hijacking-and-malware/

and several from August…
http://gbatemp.net/topic/305444-cnet-downloads-push-adware-now/

http://www.extremetech.com/computing/93504-download-com-wraps-downloads-in-bloatware-lies-about-motivations

http://www.addictivetips.com/internet-tips/cnet-introduces-download-com-installer-more-shady-than-secure/
ialreadyexist

CNET’s apology sounds less than genuine. He goes out of his way to several times to say that they’re removing that crap from open source software. Makes it very clear that they’re not going to allow it in open source software. Err….what about everything else? Still bundling stuff in there?
- Rks1157
  
  I’m sure they are genuinely sorry… About getting caught.
zombienietzsche

CNET in and of itself has become crap. From terribly written “articles” to blatant fan boy-ism. I am not surprised.
- http://disqus.com/Kimmoth/ Kimmo
  
  I found their mobile phone reviews helpful for comparing features, at least.
  
  But when looking for a file, and some joint like CNET wants to install some bullshit ‘download manager’?
  
  Hah! I run a mile.
http://mrsplooge.myopenid.com/ bob

This is new?
I knew this was happening years ago when download.com started going downhill.
Cowicide

I was wondering what the hell was going on. Download.com doesn’t seem to try and pull this crap on Mac users, but over a year ago or so I downloaded open source VLC for a friend on Windows (via download.com) and was surprised to see the software encrusted in adware.

I’m so used to Windows software being shitty compared to Mac apps, I kind of forgot about it despite the confusing lack of platform parity. Windows users put up with things that would make Mac users break out pitchforks, so I kind of brushed it off… but I was definitely perturbed and embarrassed that adware got installed on my friend’s machine that I had to pluck off.

Also what CNET did to macfixit.com was despicable, so this doesn’t surprise me that these guys from CNET would do such a thing. CNET marched in and destroyed the community that helped to build up macfixit forums by making many older forums too slow and inaccessible.

The community left en masse and now the commentary is a cesspool of butthurt Windows trolls. Macfixit is still a great source of info because of the great blogger there named Topher but that’s despite CNET, not because of it.

The folks running CNET have shabby ethics. Typical corporatist scum. This adware has wasted my time and I would definitely welcome a class action lawsuit to help us all get compensation for that wasted time and teach CNET a lesson in business ethics it obviously needs to learn with a smack upside its collective head.
Andy Brice

I am an independent developer. I was furious when I found out they had added their crappy toolbar installer to my PerfectTablePlan software without even telling me. I told them to remove my software from their site, which they appear to have done.

Download.com is not the only download site engaged in shady practices. The download sites use to perform a valuable function, but they have been rendered increasingly irrelevant as search engines improves. I think we are seeing their final death throes.
LightningRose

sudo apt-get install whatever

Problem solved.
- manicbassman
  
  so true… last time this box booted into windows was over three years ago…
- http://disqus.com/Kimmoth/ Kimmo
  
  I cracked the shits with Windows a few months ago and decided to try Linux again, so I installed Ubuntu.
  
  Despite a couple of days’ research, I was unable to get the extra buttons on my Logitech mouse going. Also, Flash in FF is totally broken, and I have no idea how to bitchslap the OS into letting me watch vid without horrible amounts of frame tearing.
  
  There are plenty of things I like about Ubuntu, but the above issues are deal-breakers for me. I’m sure they can probably be resolved, but I get the impression I’d need to be steeped in *nix lore to stand a chance; every time I try to research a fix, I’m met with a vertical learning curve.
  
  So, I installed bloody Vista again.
  - Ipo
    
    You make live discs of the Linux flavors you like to try.
    So painless.
    
    I decided for Kubuntu. Everything works. The way. I want it to.
manicbassman

Always wondered how Bing was gaining market share… now we know… Microsoft has been paying companies like this to switch users default search engines on the sly using their toolbar crap wrappers…
http://saberuk.pip.verisignlabs.com/ SaberUK

Download.com still exists?
- http://www.facebook.com/people/Sparg-Otyebat/1818893984 Sparg Otyebat
  
  I wonder how tucows is doing. Used to love those guys years ago.
Intense

OK, so until or unless download.com removes all bundled adware from any of their software for downloading, the recommendation seems to be to avoid them.

But, for those of us still using PC’s, with XP OS no less, what download sites _are _ recommended for downloading free and open source software, apps, etc. that do _not_ bundle adware with them?

It would be nice to know what the best, most recommended alternative download sites are , for both PC and Mac ( I use both), that do _not_ bundle adware, either openly or covertly, for downloading are.

Suggestions, please?
- http://disqus.com/Kimmoth/ Kimmo
  
  isohunt.com
  
  …Actually, I discovered a sweet way to get ‘recommendations’ – sort by number of seeds, and look down through the list at the oldest torrents. This tells you what the most popular (by a large margin) software is.
- Cowicide
  
  For Windows (and Mac), Softpedia AFAIK doesn’t stink up the place with crapware/adware, but I may be wrong :
  
  http://win.softpedia.com/
  
  For Mac, there’s the always improving macupdate.com which AFAIK doesn’t stink up the place with crapware/adware either.
  
  For Mac, I use macupate.com because it has a cleaner interface, but I also have a LaunchBar custom search template I made with softpedia to search far more detailed changelogs which macupdate is sorely lacking.
  
  There used to be versiontracker.com which was great until those bastards at CNET absorbed it and now it’s borged into download.com/cnet and it became a bloated, slow loading mess full of distractions. To be fair, download.com doesn’t seem to attach adware to any Mac apps, but I have no reason to trust that they won’t in the future. And, I have to admit I do like that download.com let’s you get updated via email on software updates for free which is better than macupdate.com which requires a paid subscription.
JohnBerry

I look for software at places like download.com and the go to the developers site and download directly. I also do not click on a link I type the url into a new tab so download.com doesn’t even get credit for referring me. Screw them.
Adam Judson

download . com has been scraping the net for software to copy to their site for ages. Despite repeated requests for removal, my firefox extension is still hosted there.

Given that, this news is unsurprising.

(FYI installing a Firefox extension is essentially rooting your browser. If you don’t trust the author don’t do it. And definitely don’t install from a non-official site like download . com).
Dave Johnson

I will never download anything from cnet again!
waltbosz

You should take a look at downloadster.org, they do the same thing, and if they’ve even purchased the Google adword for “VLC”.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Guy-Faust/100003078388360 Guy Faust

Gone. Won’t ever be back.
social_maladroit

Cnet’s not “secretly” installing that crap. Look at the screenshot — there’s even a picture.

Part of the problem here is that people don’t pay attention when they’re installing software.
Damien

WTF? I used to think Cnet were the good guys.

Can’t trust them anymore, and shall go elsewhere.
http://profiles.google.com/bob.probst Bob Probst

The real story here is that people are still using download.com
teapot

Hahaha this thread is simply gold. What an ideal opportunity for Mac users to have a puritanical rant about those poor, suffering Windoze users who are resigned to living with sub-standard software and an inefficient workflow.

social_maladroit, thanks for confirming what I had suspected all along – this is a case of people not reading stuff before they clicked it. See: South Park S15E1. tl;dr READ THINGS BEFORE YOU CLICK THEM.

To answer those who ask about a decent source for Open Source software, between these two sites you can usually solve most of your computerising needs.
http://sourceforge.net/
&
http://portableapps.com/apps (this one’s awesome because you can install them to your USB flash drive)

PS: Speaking of inefficient workflow.. do any of the people in this thread touting the superiority of Mac have a solution for this? Not being able to search network drives through Lion’s spotlight is kind of a big deal… I’m not just nitpicking - it’s currently screwing my workflow!
http://twitter.com/dubaiknight1976 dubaiknight1976

I knew it!