WebMaster Tips & Advise to Protect Your Web Sites
from Unethical Advertising Programs

There are a number of unethical advertising programs on the internet which can hamper success of your web web site. Many of these programs can also interfer with the reporting of affiliate sales.

As WebMasters we all work hard to build our web site rankings in search engines. We spend large amounts of money on Pay Per Click Ads to lead visitors to our web sites. We hire experts to provide us with the latest web security measures to protect our sites from hackers. It is frightening to learn that all our efforts to attract visitors to our sites through search engines and PPC might all be for nothing because unethical marketing companies and businesses might be targeting our key words and phrases with the use of contextual ads that might attack our web sites and steal visitors directly off our web sites through our own ad text.

This web site provides web masters with tips and advise about unethical adversting programs that can steal affiliate earnings and web site traffic.

If you don't know what contextual advertising is, this is the place to find information about it. We offer a lots of vital information that web masters need to know to protect their web sites and we offer web masters free scripts to help protect their web sites from not only unwanted attacks of contextual ads but also scripts to protect web sites from spam bots which might harvest email addresses.

If you own a business web site or develop web sites for others we have up to date information about these new programs and information which can help you protect your sites from malicious "traffic stealing" and banner ad switching as well as programs which also can steal your affiliate earnings.

These new types of web site marketing programs effect you since they use spyware and adware to do their dirty work by using stealth installation and are being distributed though "on-the-fly" downloads to web surfers. Spyware not only effects consumers it also effects US because it is bundled for mass distribution to unsuspecting consumers across the internet through web sites and software programs. The combined effect of this type of mass distribution has impacted well over 500 million computer users and have the ability to alter and change the viewable web content of our web sites to misdirect our potential customers away from our sites and send them directly to our competitors!

We have put this section together to alert and educate web masters and web site owners to these new online web marketing threats so that they can protect their web sites from these new and highly unethical new technologies.

We are currently trying to raise support to develop a class action lawsuit against the promoters and advertisers that use these programs that misdirect and steal our web traffic. We have additional information regarding the legal issues of Fair Trade and Advertising regulations in our Legal Section.

No membership is required, and we do not sell anything. Our site has been developed to as a service to webmasters provide up to date information about a number of new and highly unethical advertising and marketing programs that have recently been been developed which are impacting on web sites across the Internet. We hope that you will take the time to explore the important information provided on this site!

'Spyware' steps out of the shadows
Last modified: November 19, 2003, 4:00 AM PST
By John Borland
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
Late in July, an e-mail that hit employee in-boxes at a British credit card and finance company carried a secret payload--"spyware" capable of recording confidential corporate data and sending it over the Net.
Labeled "Wedding Invitation," the e-mail looked at first like spam or an ordinary worm. But consultants at security company Clearswift now believe that the e-mail was part of a targeted attack on the victim company aimed at extracting specific information--a nightmare scenario in the corporate security world.
Clearswift says the incident highlights a dangerous new trend in computer breaches, where spyware applications increasingly play a starring role. Relatively benign attacks intended to win attention by disrupting networks are being eclipsed by sophisticated attempts to steal passwords and other confidential information that can be used to deliver cash.
"The good old days of script kiddies and geeks are well gone," said Pete Simpson, manager of Clearswift's ThreatLab division. "These are criminal gangs, and the motive is clearly profit."
http://news.com.com/2100-1032_3-5108965.html

‘LoverSpy’ and similar programs probably illegal
SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 30 — A company calling itself Lover Spy has begun offering a way for jealous lovers — and anyone else — to spy on the computer activity of their mates by sending an electronic greeting, the equivalent of a thinking-of-you card, that doubles as a bugging device. COMPUTER SECURITY EXPERTS said the Lover Spy service and software appeared to violate U.S. law, but also said the surveillance program pointed to an increasingly common way for hackers to seize control of computers.
http://www.msnbc.com/news/973960.asp

Are you being watched online?
MSNBC
Nov. 13 — Here’s a sobering thought: While you’re looking at your computer, it may be looking back at you. There is easy-to-get, even free, software that lets anybody spy on you, anytime you are on your computer.Spyware programs say they catch cheating lovers, workers. With a client base that includes computer hackers, suspicious spouses, and employers, the use of spyware continues to spread online. Monitoring software of all kinds continues to flood the Internet. Earlier this year, the Aberdeen Group said some 7,000 such programs were in circulation around the globe. But the term “spyware” is a bit controversial. Monitoring software runs the full spectrum from clearly illegal to relatively innocent marketing tools. At the sleazier end of the spectrum are silent hacker programs designed to work like wiretaps, stealing every credit card number and password a victim types.
 http://www.msnbc.com/news/992662.asp

There appear to be other similar programs that can be remotely installed onto computers (yes even business computers) to quietly monitor your employees while they perform their work. These Keystroke loggers can capture every thing your employees do on their computers! Although the original targeted market for these types of spy products are parents and spouses these types of programs can be sent to unsuspecting businesses. There are a number of commercial products that are currently on the market that allows someone to email a malicious installer to unsuspecting receivers which will spy on the receivers through the use of keystroke loggers and can even take screen shots of the infected computer while it is in use. These programs can be remotely monitored by the sender to gather user information. One of the key distributors of this types of malware are iSpyNOW and other programs include SpyBuddy, Matrix Spy Software. The FBI is also investigating another company called LoverSpy which sends an email greeting complete with maleware installer which also has these same capabilities.

** Spyware & Adware Test Scan ** If you are viewing this site with Internet Explorer and see an alert displayed here then it is an indication that your computer is infected with one or more spyware programs that we can scan for. If you do not see any alert displayed in the center of this notice then our scan did not detect any of the 122 spyware programs we can scan for, however, there are still many other programs out there that we can not yet scan for. Please note: Currently we can scan for a 122 distinct spyware programs that can effect PC users and the alert will only be display if a specific targeted program is identified. Unfortunately, we are limited to finding only certain types of spyware and there are many other forms of spyware and adware that we can not currently test for. In addition, our test scan does not work well with NetScape or other browsers, if you suspect that you might have spyware on your computer please feel free to check this page while using Internet Explorer. Also, if you have a Personal FireWall installed it may interfere with our ability to scan your computer for Parasite Adware and Spyware.

In addition to the information within this section we have some excellent editorials on these new programs as well as a number of additional resources on our links sections.

Pending New Legislations

Spyware Targeted at Congressional Hearing
By John P. Mello Jr.
TechNewsWorld
November 20, 2003
A bill to take the "spy" out of spyware got a public hearing before a Congressional subcommittee Wednesday.
"You're starting to see some very sophisticated capabilities built into these things," Ken Sokol, senior product manager at Clearswift, told TechNewsWorld. "Some spyware will sit there and monitor what you're doing at your computer or steal sensitive information about you or your customers."
Until now, spyware has been seen as primarily a consumer problem, but Clearswift issued a white paper on the eve of the Congressional hearing suggesting the malware will create serious trouble for businesses, too.
"[Programs that] have been marketed and sold as corporate security devices and parental control software for kids are finding their way into the hands of hackers and criminals [who aim to] remotely [take] control of a victim's PC to facilitate industrial espionage," Clearswift Threatlab manager Pete Simpson said in a statement.
http://www.technewsworld.com/perl/story/32206.html
Please contact your representative to support this new legislation

Bono Introduces Spyware Legislation
July 30, 2003
By Roy Mark
U.S. Rep. Mary Bono (R.-Calif.) has introduced legislation requiring companies using "spyware" to inform computer users of their intent to install the invasive software and to obtain permission before loading it onto a computer. Spyware allows companies and individuals to monitor Internet activities and sometimes makes it possible to gather personally identifiable information.
Bono said H.R. 2929, the Safeguard Against Privacy Invasions Act (SPI), makes users aware of the technology before they install it on their computers. "The SPI Act helps consumers make more informed decisions about the types of tracking devices they are loading onto their PCs," Bono said. The bill is co-sponsored by Representative Edolphus Towns (D-10-NY), who said this legislation has important implications for the privacy of Internet users.
http://dc.internet.com/news/article.php/2242311
Please contact your representative to support this new legislation
http://www.marybono.com/Feedback/Feedback.cfm :: Mary Bono
http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/CA/bios/H/413.html :: Edolphus Towns

P2P companies may face new scrutiny
Last modified: July 25, 2003, 3:44 PM PDT
By Lisa M. Bowman
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
A bill introduced Thursday in Congress would require file-swapping companies to get parental permission before allowing minors to use their services.
The bill, called the Protecting Children from Peer-to-Peer Pornography (P4) Act and sponsored by Reps. Joe Pitts, R-Pa., and Chris John, D-La., would require the Federal Trade Commission to regulate peer-to-peer networks and take steps to ensure that children aren't accidentally coming across porn.
The bill's sponsors said as many as 40 percent of all files traded on the networks are porn.
"Our legislation gives parents the tools they need to protect their children from pornography and threats to privacy posed by peer-to-peer file-trading networks," Pitts said in a statement. "By working together to protect children, we are building a broad and bipartisan coalition."
http://news.com.com/2100-1025-5055426.html?tag=nl

Please contact your representative to support this new legislation

Congress cracks down on P2P porn
Last modified: March 12, 2003, 5:30 PM PST
By Declan McCullagh
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
The U.S. Congress is targeting peer-to-peer networks again--and this time politicians aren't fretting over music and software piracy. Searching for words such as "preteen," "underage" and "incest" on the Kazaa network resulted in a slew of images that qualify as child pornography, the General Accounting Office said in a 37-page report, one of two obtained by CNET News.com. The second report, prepared by staff from the House Government Reform Committee, concluded that current blocking technology has "no, or limited, ability to block access to pornography via file-sharing programs."
http://news.com.com/2100-1028_3-992371.html?tag=st_rn

 

Impact on Your Business Traffic Stealing Programs  What is Spyware  How to Remove Spyware Affliate Earning Theft Examples of TopText Gator Ad Swapping Protecting Your Site About e-Mail Harvesters

How to Stop Harvesters eZula Hall Of Shame Email Marketing Ethics  Correct Ways to Get Info  Laws Against Spamming  Weekly Web Tips  Additional Resources Where to File a Complaint Mac Spyware & Security

 

Did you know that many spyware programs can generate pornography on your computer?
Click here for more information!
 

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There are number of new laws pending without your support they will not get passed. Let your congressmen know that we want stronger privacy protections. For more information see our legal section.

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