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(Or "Beware The Trojan Horses Of The Internet")
(Or "A Pirate By Any Other Name. . .")
Yesterday I had a "meeting" online via a chat room in order to learn the administrative tasks of being a forum moderator (though, actually, being a moderator and an administrator are two different jobs). Because the chief administrator lives in Australia and I on the east coast of the United States, a chat seemed the most viable way to communicate.
My chat service is traditionally AIM, but I was asked to use another, prominent service as that was the instructor's choice. I signed up to this service. . . and the internet's version of "Mr. Toad's Wild Ride" soon began.
For one thing, in just signing up, I was given the "option" of getting an internet phone connection. . . since I was looking for a chat service and had no internet phone capability (not to mention, no time to find out what it entailed), I found this less of an 'enhancement' than a hassle. Ignoring it, I plowed through, installing the "free" software. . .
And THAT was when the invasion really began. (dumm--de-dum-dum)
Not only did it install the chat software but, optimizing the sh-- out of this "opportunity" and unbeknownst to me (hey, who am I, anyway?, just the user), it also installed a toolbar that re-installs itself EVERY blessed time I open a new window!, and, in my favorites (aka bookmarks) an entire folder full of nonsense for its site. This included about 20 links that I had absolutely NO interest in! AND, it installed about 10 more links outside of the folder, each of which had to be manually deleted.
Since I use my favorites constantly in my work, I found this entire "option" annoying in the extreme. Who gave it the right to invade my favorites, anyway? Oh, buried somewhere on its TOS page, it probably says, "by using this free service, you give us the right to come in and completely take over your computer."
And, since the service is also my email server (MATL), it took my entire address book and automatically sent emails to everyone inviting them to chat with me. . . yeesh! I had very little to say about this and was only "informed" of it after the fact.
No sooner was the download complete than I received an IM from someone with a barely intellible screen name. Not recognising it, I immediately set it to "ignore". A few minutes later, I discovered this person was actually one of my own downliners. . . and tried to undo the damage!
Yikes!
The meeting went off without a hitch and I learned all I needed to know. . . now I'm left to contend with the IM service. Among other things, if I decide to check my email, it will CLOSE all my other windows in the process of opening that one!
Since I might have 8-10 windows open at any given moment (I work online, remember?), this is totally invasive and competely annoying.
All of this nonsense only reminds me that so many of these "Free services" are actually charging a very high price-- taking over a user's computer and controlling the things they see. Since I installed it, I am now re-directed to their search engine, even though it's not my choice SE. I have also been asked at least 5 times if I would like to make theirs my home page-- SO not! It took me a long time to find a home page I like-- (it's the popular, www.myway.com home page-- no ads!, lots of personalization options!) -- so back off!
I doubt very much I'll keep this service. . . assuming, of course, that I CAN get rid of it. What really amazes me about all this is that this company is, supposedly, an upstanding respectable business. It's ubiquitous in the internet community. Yet if its name weren't _____ it would quickly be accused of some of the worst pirating and spamming tactics available! Why does it have the right to do what no one else is allowed to do?
Luckily, my Australian associate suggested another service which is compatible with several chat IM services. It's called Trillian and I'm planning to look into it today. (MATL, Too.)
(Okay... I give. The service is Yahoo. And it's totally annoying, just like their email.)
P. S. MATL is just another of my short-hand phrases. It means "More About That Later."
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