We’ve all been there…casually surfing the web and then a pop-up ad comes up. Some tell you that a PS3 is waiting for you or you’ve won an iPod. In Washington state if you bought software from a pop-up ad that looked like a “security altert” you may get a refund.
There was a settlement reached on Wednesday with the state attorney general and the owner and seller of QuickSheild. The message that looked like an internal computer alert told users that they may be vulnerable to pop-up ads (irony in 3…2…1) that a program that was a free download would help.
Turns out the download was free but the program was $19.95 and the state claimed the ad violated spyware and consumer protection laws. Assistant Attorney General Katherine Tassi, of the office’s consumer protection high-tech unit. “It (the ad) does look very real. That’s the most deceptive aspect of it.”
The maker of the ad and program is set to pay $10,000 in civil penalties.
I am not for spyware and pop-up ads…but I’m really not for stupid people who can’t read “terms of service” or be able to see the difference between a pop-up from IE and a message from their computer. Pitch for a Mac in 3..2..1..if these ads show up on my Mac (which is rare) and tell me Windows is in trouble I chuckle silently to myself and close the window.
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