Courts shut down spyware pushers
Media Motor operation frozen by FTC case.
The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has brought a case against the spyware operation Media Motor, with the
company and its affiliates ordered to cease their disreputable business and account for their ill-gotten funds.
Media Motor's spyware software often posed as a media viewing application, and was made available from various
sites including Joysticksavers.com, a fake screensaver site, and Privateinpublic.com, which posed as a
provider of voyeur pornography. The company also ran a commission-based affiliate program, recruiting through its
website. Timothy Taylor, one of the affiliates, ran a site called TeamTaylorMade.com, which pushed out the
spyware software in the guise of games and screensaver downloads. Taylor is included in the case against the
Media Motor parent company, ERG Ventures, and its directors.
Those who tried to download content from the numerous sites usually found they didn't get what they expected. EULAs,
where included, were often no more than window dressing, with the software silently installed whether they were
accepted or not. Promised content was not forthcoming, and instead the Media Motor selection of trojans was
installed, including data gatherers, intrusive and often pornographic adware systems, browser security tweakers,
security software blockers and more, all hidden and made hard to remove.
All defendants were accused of using deceptive and exploitative tactics and causing harm to victims' computers. A
Nevada court has issued a restraining order barring the group from further online activity and freezing their assets,
pending financial awards. Detailed legal papers relating to the case can be found on the FTC's website,
here, with a statement
here.
14 November 2006
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