[UncleScooter]

Is anyone else seeing Zwinky commercials on TV? This is our friends at SmileyCentral reaching out through television to infest more computers with their crapware.

[Trust]

Haven't seen them, is it this one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jbEZlnl9WQ

Ah, I see it. You can click numerous links on the site, for a download of the toolbar.

This is just the EULA
http://info.zwinky.com/zwinkyinfo/eula.jhtml

[UncleScooter]

From the EULA

We reserve the right to add additional features or functions to the existing Toolbar. When installed on your computer, the Toolbar periodically communicates with our servers. We may require the updating of the Toolbar on your computer when we release a new version of the Toolbar...

Typical auto-updating crapola we have seen for years. Download the cute and fluffy stuff now and they load every adware/spyware program under the sun while you sleep.

[meadowmufn]

If I hear that crappy "Get Zwinky!" jingle one more time, I think I'm gonna .

[CowgirlUp]

When I saw the commercial for the first time both my girls were sitting in the room with me and I gave them a nice little lecture about not downloading it.

I have incredimal and it has smilies similar to smily central. It's not the same company is it?

[Donuts]

Originally Posted by rgrsgrl

I have incredimal and it has smilies similar to smily central. It's not the same company is it?

It is the same company, SmileyCentral.

[Donuts]

And SmileyCentral is owned by FunWebProducts, a total spyware/adware/scumware company.

Learn more here:
http://www.benedelman.org/spyware/in...jeeves-banner/
http://forums.spywareinfo.com/index.php?showtopic=55260

I've never signed up at Azoogle (because I know better), but I do know that Azoogle did manage the affiliate program for FunWebProducts / SmileyCentral... what? a subaffiliate id cpa network not only uses spyware, but pays ignorant affiliates to distribute it? really? big surprise there. :-(

Why the FTC allows spyware companies, their distributors (including folks like ask and azoogle) to thrive and to target kids is beyond disgusting.

[CowgirlUp]

Originally Posted by Donuts

It is the same company, SmileyCentral.

Crap! I liked incredimail cuz it merged all my different e-mail addys and I definitely don't want to support scum/adware!

[2busy]

I ran across a little snippet of code that might be useful to Php sites. It detects the FunWebProducts toolbar and informs the visitor along with a link to PCTools' removal services.

I don't know if I can post it though because it contains the PCTools URL.

Without the URL it would be ok I think:

 <?php
if (eregi("FunWebProducts",$HTTP_USER_AGENT)){
  print("<h1>Warning FunWebProducts Browser Hijacker Detected</h1><p>We have detected a suspicious peice of software on your computer. See <a href="http://www.someplace.com/spyware-doctor/" target="_blank">HERE</a> for more information.</p>"); }
?>

Maybe other USER_AGENTS could fit there also?

I hope I'm not in trouble for this, just trying to be helpful.