Spyware Still Cheating Merchants 82
Jamie found an interesting story about how Spyware is still on the move. It talks about how Spyware vendors are trying to clean up their image, but still doing fishy things. It breaks down several common types of spyware and some analysis of each.
Re:Serves them right? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Thats an interisting article. (Score:1, Insightful)
Re:Now google has a till option.... (Score:5, Insightful)
There are also plenty of people that aren't interested in Google's checkout at all, and would refuse this.
If there was a simple answer, this problem would not have existed for so long.
Capital S? (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Thats an interisting article. (Score:3, Insightful)
How to catch rule-breakers (Score:4, Insightful)
Instead, in my experience, the only robust enforcement strategy is testing: Get copies of the spyware, browse the web on infected test PCs, and see what happens. If an affiliate's link is invoked wrongfully and unexpectedly, then investigate and take appropriate action.
Is this trivially easy? Well, no. But it's the only clear way forward. And arguably it's appropriate: Any merchant paying out $$$$$ of affiliate commissions ought to put forth reasonable effort to confirm who they're paying and what they're paying for. In few other contexts would a company have as many suppliesr, subject to as little vetting (ex ante) and supervision (ex post), as in Internet advertising.
Ewww (Score:5, Insightful)
Less outsourcing, and contracts that demand less second-degree outsourcing, would help the advertisers tremendously. I doubt that it would do much for the spyware victims, though, because there'll always be another scam right around the corner.
Re:Ben Edelman, here (Score:4, Insightful)
Lie down with dogs, wake up with fleas (Score:2, Insightful)
Make business arrangements with criminals and you deserve to get ripped off.
After working at a free newspaper for some time... (Score:3, Insightful)