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STEALTH ADVERTISING ON THE INTERNET: SCUMWARE
Does online advertising seem more relentless than it used to be? Banner ads that flash and implore you to click on a moving target, animations that take control of your Web browser, multiple "pop-up" ads that open when you visit a favorite site—the methods of attracting viewers to advertising grow more ingenious every day.

As discussed in the August 2001 CyberNews column, advertisements may be the necessary price we pay for free content on the Web, since they often are a site’s only source of revenue. However, a new breed of online advertising that is not only persistent but also downright invasive has been rearing its head on the Web of late. It’s known by many in the industry as "scumware."

Scumware describes a collection of Web browser plug-ins, applets and downloads that seek to redirect users from their intended destinations to sites that have contracted with scumware distributors for advertising.

The distribution method of choice for most scumware makers is to bundle their programs with other desirable free software downloads. As users download a popular file-sharing application or game, they unwittingly install the scumware programs on their systems. The terms-of-service agreement for the sought-after download usually contains notice of the scumware program’s presence, but many of us do not thoroughly read these often lengthy agreements before accepting their terms.

Once on your system, these programs target you for advertisements in one of several ways while you browse the Internet.

One common scumware program activates hyperlinks to a contracting advertiser’s Web site on any Web page you visit, linking the word "football" on a sports Web site to a competitor’s site, for instance. Another program covers up legitimately purchased banner ads on a site with ads for one of the scumware company’s clients. A third common program causes "pop-up" ads to appear when users search for specific words on the popular search engine Google, violating the site’s policy of not accepting pop-up advertising.

The companies that create and market these scumware programs tell critics that users have voluntarily installed their programs, even though many users have no idea the programs are running on their systems until extra links and ads begin to appear on Web pages. At the same time, these companies boast to potential advertising clients of their ability to reach targeted viewers through any Web page that "contextually matches" a client’s advertising campaign objective.

Are you concerned you may have inadvertently installed a piece of scumware on your system? If you don’t download free software from the Internet, the chances you’ve installed any scumware are slim.

However, if you think you may be a victim, visit "www.scumware.com". This anti-scumware site can detect if several common scumware applications are running on your system and provides directions for removing the programs, as well as a host of other information on this aggressive advertising tactic.

Reported by Joe Hoyle, electronic media editor, "hoylej{at}ada.org".

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