Adware maker
180solutions has
filed a lawsuit against Zone
Labs, a subsidiary of
Check Point, over the
way Zone Labs rates 180solutions' products as 'spyware'. The company is seeking
unspecified monetary damages.
180solutions alleges that Zone Labs'
ZoneAlarm
Anti-Spyware application wrongly labels its software as 'high risk spyware'
thereby prompting end users to remove it.
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180solutions develops
Zango
Search Assistant and
180search
Assistant. The software entices users to install the product by promising
access to games and premium content, but also presents them with pop-up
advertisements.
Zone Labs is accused of falsely claiming that the applications monitor users'
keystrokes and mouse movements.
Based on that conclusion Zone Labs claims that the software violates users'
privacy. It labels the applications 'high risk spyware' and recommends that
users remove the software.
"It's a very sloppy classification," said Sean Sundwall, a spokesman for
180solutions. The vendor went on to say that Zone Labs is wrongly flagging
software as spyware in an effort to further sales of its anti-spyware suite.
"It is in Zone Labs' interest to design the ZoneAlarm product to frighten
consumers into believing that spyware resides on their computers, even if it
does not," the complaint stated.
Zone Labs is not the only spyware removal application that tags and removes
180solutions' software. Computer
Associates' eTrust
PestPatrol Anti-Spyware flags the Zango software
as
adware because it does not properly disclose that it serves advertisements.
CA also alleges that some of 180solutions' advertisements are misleading and
that the software connects to the internet to download updates without warning
or consulting the user. It does not claim that the software records keystrokes
or mouse movements.
180solutions said that it disagrees with CA's description and is talking with
the vendor. Sundwall, however, stressed that it does not see litigation as a
part of its strategy.
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