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yendiDear Michael Dell:
Having read your company's internal policy on spyware, let me just say: Fuck you. Fuck you up the ass with a rusty pole wrapped in stinging nettles.
Love,
Adam (who, along with the rest of his division, had to content with hundreds of spyware and virus-infected machines this fall)
Having read your company's internal policy on spyware, let me just say: Fuck you. Fuck you up the ass with a rusty pole wrapped in stinging nettles.
Love,
Adam (who, along with the rest of his division, had to content with hundreds of spyware and virus-infected machines this fall)
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(no subject)
Date: 2003-12-02 04:40 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2003-12-02 04:47 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2003-12-02 04:48 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2003-12-02 04:52 pm (UTC)thats bloody stupid, i mean by doing that Dell is sorta saying that we like spyware and dont give a fuck about the paying customer if u get a virus, merry christmas sucker ^_^
bastards -_-*
(no subject)
Date: 2003-12-02 04:58 pm (UTC)Mmmm Palak Paneer Now I'm hungry :D
(no subject)
Date: 2003-12-02 05:00 pm (UTC)aww man now uve made me crave for indian food, no i dont indian all the time im having pasta rite now =P
(no subject)
Date: 2003-12-02 05:29 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2003-12-02 06:03 pm (UTC)Hmm.
Date: 2003-12-02 04:53 pm (UTC)Also, I tell people to download Ad-Aware all the time. I have to say that Dell doesn't directly support it (since it's a 3rd party program) but it's a life-saver. Kazaa is like the veritable Pandora's Box full of nasty stuff, we have to deal with it constantly. It would either be that or reformat and reinstall, ad nauseum.
Just so you know, I'm not a spokesperson for Dell and my views are my own. So don't quote me. :)
Re: Hmm.
Date: 2003-12-02 04:59 pm (UTC)Re: Hmm.
Date: 2003-12-02 05:44 pm (UTC)Re: Hmm.
Date: 2003-12-02 07:06 pm (UTC)Re: Hmm.
Date: 2003-12-12 10:10 am (UTC)from him
"Important Update To CTS Support Policy on the Topic of 3rd Party Software That is Commonly Referred to as "Spyware"
Dell has recently updated their support policy on the topic of 3rd party software that is commonly referred to as "spyware". Steps have been included in the applicable Dell troubleshooting decision trees that include guidance on how to help customers identify such 3rd party applications so that they can review what has been installed and take the appropriate actions (remove, retain, etc.).
Points to keep in mind:
Dell does not ship any product with spyware installed
Never refer to any piece of software as "spyware" when working with a customer -- the term "third-party software" is preferred.
The only exception to this rule is when you are directing a customer on what search terms to use when searching the Web for information.
Do not make value judgments on any third-party software.
Dell has tested and recommends a Sunbelt software bundle which can identify third-party software that has been downloaded to a customer's system, and allow the customer to choose which applications he or she wishes to keep.
This package is supported by Sunbelt.
You can locate this package by browsing to www.dell.com and searching for "sunbelt" or "sunbelt software"."
Re: Hmm.
Date: 2003-12-17 02:33 am (UTC)http://support.dell.com/us/en/kb/document.asp?DN=1077228
Public link... hope you find it useful!
(no subject)
Date: 2003-12-02 05:06 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2003-12-02 07:07 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2003-12-02 05:28 pm (UTC)Earthlink has free spyware scanning software and, as a member, they'll remove it using the Total Access software. At least, that's what I read on our page. I d/led it and I must have had the alexa toolbar, though I have no clue how. It won't work in Mozilla -- but I guess anyone foolish enough to use Microsoft products and their god damned swiss-chese software needs it.
What a bunch of crap.
(no subject)
Date: 2003-12-02 05:30 pm (UTC)First, notice what the policy *doesn't* say. It doesn't, for example, prohibit Dell's support staff from saying the following:
"Information on the topics of 'spyware' and 'spyware removal' can be found on the internet via any good search engine."
i.e. a nice *non-specific* nudge in the direction of helpful information, as opposed to directing people to specific products or sources.
I use 2 spyware removal tools regularly. Both of them work well, and I'm quite happy with what they do and how they do it. However, both of them, by default (i.e. prior to me tweaking their profiles), strongly recommend that I remove a couple of programs that they class as spyware. I understand *why* the removal tools class these other programs as spyware: These programs do indeed gather information about my system, and then pass said information on to other people. The point is, I *know* that's what these products do, because I read about what they do and how they do it before I ever installed them. Furthermore, I *want* them to report this information back to base, because (a) in one case, that's a necessary step for the program to provide the service that I bought it for; (b) in the other, the supply of that data is part of a contract that I knowingly entered into, with a company I trust not to abuse it, in order to get access to a very attractive service. By *my* criteria, neither of these programs are not spyware, because they aren't doing anything unwarranted or behind my back.
My PC isn't a Dell. But suppose it was, and I asked Dell for advice about spyware, and they recommended a particular anti-spyware product. Their recommended anti-spyware product then disables the data gathering/reporting on these two programs. Bingo! I am now in breach of two contracts, and Dell may be held indirectly responsible. Furthmore, if Dell has made contractual commitments to the producers of those 2 programs, that Dell will neither do nor advise they customers to do anything to the customer's PC that will prevent those companies' products functioning, then *Dell* is in direct breach of 2 contracts.
Of course, there are other solutions that could be looked into. Dell could carefully research the spyware-protection market and only recommend products that specifically don't break any of their current agreements. That, of course, means paying someone to do the evaluations, and someone in the accounts dept to check-out exactly what agreements might be infringed in each case. But then what happens when a later version of the product *does* break their affiliates' products, and Dell fail to spot it before making their next recommendation to a customer? So now they have to start *continuously* re-evalutaing their recommended anti-spyware tools... And who's paying for all this? Indirectly, Dell's customers, of course. Either the cost of support has to go up, or the cost of the PCs.
A better solution might be for Dell to get round a table with the producers of a couple of decent spyware removal programs (call these folks SR1 & SR2), and reps from the affiliate companies they're trying not to upset (A1, A2, A3), and try to negotiate a mutually agreeable solution. Something like "SR1 and SR2 agree not to classify products by A1, A2 and A3 as spyware, or cause them to be removed or disabled from a host PC, provided said products (a) do not store and retransmit any data about the host PC that has not been specifically disclosed in the product's ULA; (b) always notify the user whenever an option is selected which will cause additional data to be stored and transmitted." - etc.
Dell's solution isn't the most courageous or creative one, and if enough people present enough evidence that it's going to do more harm than good, they may well rethink it. I think it *possibly* merits the rusty pole (just on general "yet another big company covering its arse at the customers' expense" principles), but the stinging nettles may be going a little far... =:o}
(no subject)
Date: 2003-12-02 07:08 pm (UTC)Icon
Date: 2003-12-02 06:49 pm (UTC)Re: Icon
Date: 2003-12-02 07:09 pm (UTC)Re: Icon
Date: 2003-12-03 07:30 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2003-12-02 07:30 pm (UTC)All hail linux. ;)