Microsoft’s Security Products Will Block Adware by Default

CommanderFrank

CommanderFrank

Cat Can't Scratch It
Joined
May 9, 2000
Messages
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Microsoft announced this week that its security programs such as Microsoft Security Essentials and Microsoft Forefront will begin to automatically block adware beginning July 1st.

Many programs use advertising as a form of payment for the program and that is also an acceptable practice. We are more concerned with the advertising that interferes with our customer’s Windows experience without giving them choice and control over it.
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Ah good, another reason to encourage people to deprecate MSE
 
Skripka said:
Ah good, another reason to encourage people to deprecate MSE
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How do I know you didn't read the article?

We only consider classifying a program as adware if it runs on the user’s machine and produces notifications promoting goods or services in programs other than itself. If the program shows advertisements within its own borders it will not be assessed any further."

Going further than that is not a call that MS should make, no matter how much you hate ads.
 
And I didn't see your followup post until after mine went up, so we're all good then.
 
BUT ADVERTISEMENTS ARE GOOD. MONOPOLY! MONOPOLY! BAN MICROSOFT
 
So are they going to block every installer at download.com? Those things have like 10 opt-out for extras during installs. And it works, because most people just click next through it all.

I hate it when AMD sometimes puts things in their CCC packages.
 
I think it should be left up to the user to deselect the adware. Having an AV, automatically do it might take some revenue away from software developers. Ive just tried a few random ad supported programs from the awesome sourceforge, and they dont seem to meet the criteria for mse to exclude from blocking, that the article states such as labeling what program supplied the ads and providing the uninstall that matches the ads.
 
Ocean said:
I think it should be left up to the user to deselect the adware. Having an AV, automatically do it might take some revenue away from software developers. Ive just tried a few random ad supported programs from the awesome sourceforge, and they dont seem to meet the criteria for mse to exclude from blocking, that the article states such as labeling what program supplied the ads and providing the uninstall that matches the ads.
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Am I supposed to feel sympathetic towards those software developers? Because... I'm not. Not even a little bit. Why are you? Is it possible that you are one of them?
 
Why not step it up and start blocking viruses. Adware isn't nearly as bad as some of the crap out there.
 
Ocean said:
I think it should be left up to the user to deselect the adware. Having an AV, automatically do it might take some revenue away from software developers. Ive just tried a few random ad supported programs from the awesome sourceforge, and they dont seem to meet the criteria for mse to exclude from blocking, that the article states such as labeling what program supplied the ads and providing the uninstall that matches the ads.
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The problem is many software tries to hide such option as best they can, and most users will unwillingly install stuff such as browser toolbars.

Programs shouldn't automatically install additional adware. I don't have a problem if a program wants to display ads within the program itself when I'm using it, but when it starts installing additional stuff that pops up ads at other times, or toolbars, that's something I do not want.
 
This is definitely a move designed to hurt Google. Oh well, makes me happy. Maybe my less tech-savvy relatives will end up with less terrible adware junk on their computers.
 
I could never figure out why MS didn't integrate adblock into IE from day one. They were obviously afraid of Google, and doing this would have decimated Google's cash flow. Instead they stupidly tried to compete directly with them.
 
evilsofa said:
Am I supposed to feel sympathetic towards those software developers? Because... I'm not. Not even a little bit. Why are you? Is it possible that you are one of them?
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Some of those developers give you a program for the ad revenue, and not your direct revenue. I think it's a valid way to make money. So it's not all bad, thuogh, like brought up, there are sneaky bastards who do stupid and bad things. So it's not all good either.
 
Quix said:
This is definitely a move designed to hurt Google. Oh well, makes me happy. Maybe my less tech-savvy relatives will end up with less terrible adware junk on their computers.
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How does it hurt Google? Doesn't sound like this blocks ads in IE or anything, it's aimed at external programs that open intrusive ads without any user consent.
 
Sp33dFr33k said:
Why not step it up and start blocking viruses. Adware isn't nearly as bad as some of the crap out there.
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This is an article about MS's security products. They already do include blocking viruses, but this is talking about including a different, less destructive category of "adware" in those blocked by default by their security products. You are probably thinking this refers to their browser.

Quix said:
This is definitely a move designed to hurt Google. Oh well, makes me happy. Maybe my less tech-savvy relatives will end up with less terrible adware junk on their computers.
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This move will probably only hurt Google in the long run if it is successful at blocking Adware and make PCs running Windows less prone to easy infections by adware and other such types of malware and annoyanceware. This, along with cheaper, portable, and battery friendly Windows 8 tablets/convertibles may stop MS from bleeding marketshare to their competitors (Apple, Google) who control their platform much more stringently.
 
Hornet said:
The problem is many software tries to hide such option as best they can, and most users will unwillingly install stuff such as browser toolbars.

Programs shouldn't automatically install additional adware. I don't have a problem if a program wants to display ads within the program itself when I'm using it, but when it starts installing additional stuff that pops up ads at other times, or toolbars, that's something I do not want.
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That's my problem, too. I don't mind ad supported software (especially when it's free to start with). It's when it installs other software and adware either without my permission or using a tricky tactic when installing the software.
 
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