Comments on: Spyware being installed by a Facebook application

By: Andrew

Andrew — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 19:13:37 +0000

Zango is now stating that they are not installing spyware using this application:

A report from security firm Fortinet that a Facebook application was attempting to sneakily install adware on user’s computers is “completely false,” according to Zango, the company which makes the adware.

http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/01/adware-maker-sa.html

It is not clear who to believe.

By: Lemmingworks » Andrew Patrick » Spyware being installed by a Facebook application

Fri, 04 Jan 2008 12:32:48 +0000

[...] want to offend friends who invite me… which is an interesting form of leverage. But Andrew (who has invited me to speak on Songchild this winter) points out that badness is already [...]

By: Jessica

Jessica — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 02:13:17 +0000

I don’t know about the spyware part, but the social worm portion has been in quite a few facebook apps. There was one a few months ago in which you had to spam your friends – and have them spam other people in order to win an Amazon gift card.

And it seems to me there have been a bunch that “require” you to invite your friends to install. Mind you, on one level I am tempted to keep a mental list of the people who constantly spam me with vampire/pirate/dragon/baby Elder God invites and just invite them. So far I have resisted the temptation, and cancelled out of the apps instead.

My current peeve is the free IQ test which offers a “free detailed report”. The Canadian version sends you on a twisty maze of sponsorship links which don’t seem to end until you give your credit card number for a trial offer at one of them – not my idea of free.