Cancelling Vonage

If you're thinking of cancelling Vonage, I suggest you read Tom Keating's post on cancelling his Vonage service. He recorded the entire call with the Vonage customer service rep (what a rascal), and transcribed it.

Source: The VOIPGirl.com

All in all, don't be surprised if Vonage does more than ask you a few questions to get you to reconsider your decision to abandon ship. Like Tom, I decided to cancel Vonage recently (after only about 6 months). My call quality was terrible. While I didn't get into quite the same pressure cooker, the Vonage rep did try to get me to reconsider, offering a few free month's service, a chat with tech support, etc.

The rep also tried to make me think I was making a big mistake, a bad decision. I was a little taken aback. When I return something in a store, often I'm asked for the reason for the return. Never do I get into a debate about it. Kind of unnerving.

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Google Calendar launches in UK

Google has launched a UK version of its calendar service.

Source: Webuser Magazine / Quentin Reade

Google Calendar is a free online calendar that lets people schedule and share appointments and events.

The service features several innovations, including 'QuickAdd' which lets people add appointments using natural language, without filling out forms. For example typing "lunch with John 1pm Friday" will create a new calendar entry.

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YouTube? MSN Calls it Soapbox

MSN today announced the U.S. beta release of Soapbox on MSN Video, a user-uploaded video service.

Source: Internet.com / Nicholas Carlson

YouTube leads the user-generated video market, with greater market share than MySpace, Google, and Yahoo as of August 16, according to Hitwise market research.

And the Microsoft product will ape many of the leader's features. Users can rate, comment on, and tag each others videos. They can browse throught categories, find related videos, subscribe to RSS feeds, and share their favorites.

Mentos and Diet Coke volcanoes, Lonelygirl15 clones, and whole lot of lip-synching are likely to ensue.

One key difference between YouTube and Soapbox, general manager of entertainment and video services for MSN Rob Bennett told internetnews.com, is a "hidden gem" feature called "always be watching." It allows a user to navigate the site without stopping the currently playing video.

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Home PCs under increased attack

Fraudsters have stepped up their attack on home internet users, with attempts at bank fraud, identity theft and other financial crime rampant, according to a report.

Source: Webuser / Quentin Reade

Security software firm Symantec's tenth Internet Security Threat Report (ISTR) reveals that 86 per cent of all attacks target home internet users, with attackers increasingly using 'holes' in everyday computer applications to sneak in malicious code, like Trojan horses, onto the PC.

The report said that there has been an 81 per cent increase in consumer orientated phishing attacks, where a third party tries to trick consumers into handing over their login details for vital websites such banks, payment services and credit cards.

The scam usually involves an email being sent to customers asking them to either respond with their account details or click on a link that takes them to a duplicate (but not real) home page.

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Desktop bling

Your PC desktop is the first interface you see after starting your computer, and the basic portal for all your computer activities.

Source: Download.com / Jessica Dolcourt

However, many Windows users find themselves with a wasteland of miscellaneous and single-use files cluttering a default landscape. It's time to show your diamond-in-the-rough desktop the respect it deserves with some serious software bling.

The category of desktop enhancements encompasses a wide variety of software that includes cursors, icons, skins, themes, wallpaper, and widgets. Download.com's library of delicious desktop eye candy is the perfect place to begin experimenting with software self-expression.

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IE Vulnerability Spreads To Email

The VML exploit found earlier this week could prove to be a severe problem because it can take initiative without requiring any action on the part of the user. But so far Microsoft does not appear to be a big rush to fix the problem.

Source: Internet.com / Andy Patrizio

Microsoft has acknowledged reports from antivirus and anti-spyware vendors of the vulnerability in the Vector Markup Language (VML) used in Windows.

For now, Microsoft has published a Security Advisory, which provides steps customers can take to protect themselves.

A security update is now being finalized, but at this point, Microsoft plans to release it as part of its October security updates on October 10, three weeks away. A Microsoft spokesperson confirmed late Wednesday when asked by internetnews.com that the fix would come next month, not sooner.

Microsoft has dragged its feet on exploits before. When the WMF virus was found in late December, Microsoft was initially slow to release a fix but eventually did so ahead of schedule due to customer pressure.

Eric Sites, vice president of research & development at Sunbelt Software, which first found the virus, said Microsoft should not wait on a patch.

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Google Earth goes green

Google has introduced a raft of overlays for Google Earth that show information on environmental degradation, US National Parks, and chimpanzee in the Gombe preserve.

Source: Webuser / Quentin Reade

By partnering with the United Nations Environmental Program, Discovery Network, National Park Service and Jane Goodall Institute, Google said it hopes to better share the world's geographic information.

People can access the overlays by clicking on the “Featured Content” checkbox in the Google Earth sidebar.

John Hanke, director, Google Earth and Maps, said: “We are excited to provide users with the opportunity to learn more about the natural wonders and manmade landmarks of the world.”

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Stay current with Download.com Update Watcher

So you've got a lot of nifty utilities in your computer. The question is how do you ensure to be running the latest version of each of those?

Source: Mozilla Links

CNet Download.com Update Watcher addresses this need. You need to create an account with CNet and add the titles you care about to your watch list. Once installed (download the XPI file, then drag it to Firefox window), Update Watcher will check Download.com's database and let you know when an update has been released recently.

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Microsoft Vows To Beat Apple On Price

UPDATED: Calling it the start of a new platform of entertainment devices, Microsoft gave a sneak peek and details of its much-anticipated Zune music player today.

Source: Internet.com / By David Needle

Microsoft said in a statement Zune is on track to be available "this holiday season."

To put Zune at the top of holiday shopping lists, Microsoft confirmed the Zune's specifications, which have been a poorly kept secret since details started to emerge a few months ago.

Zune includes 30 gigabytes of storage, built-in Wi-Fi connectivity, an FM Tuner and a 3-inch screen. Toshiba is believed to be the manufacturer under contract for Microsoft.

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Hackers Attack ActiveX Flaw in IE

UPDATED: Internet Explorer is again the target of an exploit. The latest, prompting an investigation by Microsoft, could allow hackers to take control of some un-patched PCs.

Source: Internet.com / By Ed Sutherland

The attack code appears just days after Microsoft's regular monthly patch releases, an increasingly common tactic by malicious hackers.

"This vulnerability may allow an attacker to execute code on a user's machine by convincing them to visit a malicious Web site using Internet Explorer," according to a statement from a Microsoft spokesperson.

The software giant released a security advisory suggesting Windows XP and Windows 2000 disable ActiveX and active scripting features.

Windows 2003 is not affected, according to Microsoft.

Attackers can use a flaw in the multimedia-related ActiveX controls and a specially crafted Web page.

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Skype Has Major Problems

Over the last week I've seen an increase in delayed messages from Skype users.

Source: VoIP Watch

I've also become the victim of chat spam and conference call spam where all of a sudden someone or a group of someone's is bringing me into a totally useless chat session about nothing.

The delayed messages, some sent by clients who thought I was on line, as I appeared to them to be online, even though I was offline means Skype is not ready for mission critical communications.

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Vista Faces 'Difficult Position' in Europe

Microsoft wants to ship a legal version of Vista in Europe but says it still doesn't know what the ground rules are.

Source: Internet.com / By Michael Hickins

The Redmond, Wash.-based software vendor has said that it won't ship the product to that market until the European Commission clarifies its stance.

The Commission, for its part, says it has already said everything it has to say.

"That leaves us in a rather difficult position," Tom Brookes, a Microsoft spokesman, told internetnews.com.

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer told European Commissioner Neelie Kroes that Microsoft may not ship Vista to Europe at all if it doesn't get more clarity.

Brookes said Microsoft has made a number of proposals to the commission regarding what will be included with the new operating system, but is still waiting for a response.

He acknowledged that, since the commission has said that no response will be forthcoming, the next move is up to Microsoft.

As for what that will be, he said, "we'll have to wait and see."

Microsoft may have gained a little bit of leverage against the commission today, thanks to a report by research firm IDC showing that Vista will drive employment and growth in the European market.

The report, sponsored by Microsoft, claims that Vista installations will drive 50 percent of the growth in IT employment.

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We'd like to introduce ourselves

Who we are and what we do ...

Source: G*Team-Solutions

G*Team Solutions is an International, independent pool of computer and Internet specialists, dedicated to build and keep a healthy relationship between your PC and you. We perform our services on-line, on-phone, and on-site.

It is (rather)easy to operate or use a computer, but getting the max out of your PC, customized to your personal need is a kind of artwork. Throughout this website you can decide how much you want to ease up your tasks, and which software you want to add to create a maximized work station. You can order or download and install desired software by yourself or, call, email, or send an instant message requesting our assistance. On demand we also will install for you.

Our services cover fields as listed below:

• (Online) Assistance and (Remote) Computer Repair. Did you try to correct any trouble yourself and got stuck? You do not know how to continue? A file or program disappeared? Do you experience symptoms of hardware failure? No problem, we assist, maintain, repair and service on-line, on-phone, or on-site.
  New! Do you doubt to receive your ISP's promised DSL or CABLE speed? We test your connection and provide all necessary data to inform your ISP.
• Computer Protection and Maintenance. Everybody wants to know his/her PC's security maximized. Are you using the right Anti-Virus protection? Is your firewall activated? Do you use a safe browser? Which email software do you use?
• Telephony. Are you not disgusted of your monthly phone bills? How would you like to perform phone calls around the world at extreme low cost or even for free? VoIP makes it possible. You can take advantage of this feature by using an application installed in your computer (software) or, there are also handsets looking, feeling and performing like the "good old telephone".
• Links. Are you looking for more or other services than provided on our website? We have tested many IT services and partnered with several of them already. Are you looking for more Microsoft alternatives than offered in our "Protection" page? "Links" page will be your right choice in this case. Feel free to cruise this page too and try these recommended products and services.
• More to come ... We just finished prototype tests for a 100% e-office solution that may be customized and adjusted exactly to your personal demand. Enjoy your office in a new look! No paper war anymore on your desk; no ugly drawers anymore to store all your hardcopies ... Even extreme custom solutions like these may be installed during a remote session. Soon you will discover a new page added to our website.
  

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Microsoft to release new search site.

Microsoft Live is to be officially launched after almost a year of beta testing.

Source: WebUser

Live Search is expected to give more accurate search results than its predecessor and will power the search functions on MSN, the company's media and entertainment portal, which attracts more than 465 million unique users worldwide per month.

Sharon Baylay, general manager of Microsoft online services group, UK, said: "Live Search offers unique features, controls and personalisation to put consumers in charge of what they find online whether it be a web search, images, local mapping and more."

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Meet The New iPods

By David Needle

SAN FRANCISCO - Apple introduced several new iPods at an event here along with a major enhancement to its iTunes software available for free download.

With iTunes 7, Apple has played to one of its core strengths; easier-to-use, more graphical features.

A new "Cover Flow" view in iTunes lets you search for music, TV shows and movies by cover art. Click a slider with the mouse and the covers whiz by until you find the one you want to play. Also, registered iTunes users can find the missing cover art for their albums.

CEO Steve Jobs said Apple might not have art for every title, but the iTunes store has a good start with over 3.5 million titles.

Viewing TV episodes got simpler too. You can, for example, request the three most recent episodes of The Office that you haven't already downloaded, and the iTunes will get them.

The iTunes store also now includes a series of retro games for the latest iPods including Tetris, Mahjong, Mini Golf and Pac Man for $4.99.

Jobs said Apple is currently in the fifth spot among music sellers and the only pure online retailer. The others include Walmart at number one, followed by Best Buy, Target and Amazon (whose sales include CDs). He said Apple's iTunes was on track to pass Amazon next year. Apple also announced a deal with the NFL Network to offer the whole 2006 season and highlights at the iTunes store.

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VON Fall 2006: CallVantage Goes Soft

AT&T Chases Moving Target with PC-Based VoIP Service

by Jim Barthold

AT&T has chosen the Fall VON conference in Boston to make some noise about its oh-so-quiet CallVantage service. The carrier said it has renewed its CallVantage marketing focus and has teamed up with CounterPath Solutions to develop a softphone element that will, at the very least, chase the traveling user.

The softphone, which is priced for standalone non-AT&T customers at $10.99 for 300 minutes a month and $19.99 for unlimited local and long distance – AT&T subscribers get a $5 discount on either plan – doesn’t go as far as making VoIP available on mobile phones or PDAs, but does extend it to laptops.

“The real advantage is the ability to give the customer who travels with a laptop [and with] the great proliferation of Wi-Fi hotspots and broadband, the ability to have a CallVantage account and leverage the features that we have and access them from the PC,” said Chris Albano, product marketing director of AT&T CallVantage Service. “Pretty much every hotel room has some [form of] high-speed access, either Wi-Fi or cable- based, and you can now make calls directly from your PC.”

An additional softphone feature is peer-to-peer video conferencing, as long as both parties are CallVantage subscribers.

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Why Aren't Smart Phones More Popular?

By Andy Patrizio

LOS ANGELES -- The U.S. mobile phone market is very different from the rest of the world, from the networks to the hardware to our approach to mobile phones. The result? A slower adoption of smart phones than other parts of the world.

That's one of the main take-aways from several panel discussions at the Smart Phone Summit, taking place in a city notorious for distracted drivers on their cell phones. The Summit precedes the annual CTIA wireless conference here, which starts Tuesday.

According to The NPD Group, smart phones only make up around two percent of total wireless device sales in the U.S.. A smart phone is defined as a telephone with an operating system, applications and, if not a full keyboard, then one with the ability to input more than 12 digits.

Part of the problem, according to Avi Greengart, principal analyst, mobile devices for the market research firm Current Analysis, is vendor lock-in and the lack of portability between phones.

America has three different wireless networks: GSM (define), used by T-Mobile and Cingular; CDMA (define), used by Verizon (Quote, Chart) and Sprint (Quote, Chart); and IDEM, used by Nextel. Also, carriers in the U.S. lock the consumer to the phone much more rigidly than in other parts of the world by locking the SIM card.

This makes it nearly impossible to easily switch carriers and very difficult to switch phones. Europe and Asia, others at the summit pointed out, have a much stronger trend toward upgrading and replacing their phones.

"In America, the operator is the hardware vendor. In Europe, they have these cell phone warehouses where you can buy all kinds of different devices," said David Brown, senior VP of advanced wireless services for Brightpoint North America, a wireless service and product provider.

It's an unusual contradiction. The U.S. has a much higher rate of upgrading and replacing computers than in Europe, but in Europe, they upgrade and replace their phones faster than in the United States. Greengart said it's no surprise.

"The U.S. has a broadband, PC-centric culture," he explained. "Most Americans got their first online experience on a PC experience, while in Europe, most people got their first online experience through a cell phone."

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Maleware Complaints - What is this site about ? / Forum Rules

This site was started by anti-malware fighters as a place where you, a victim, can register your feelings about the malware writers that have made your life a misery.

It is to provide you with ways that YOU can start to fight back at them, to hopefully start to make them suffer for what they have done to you, and the thousands of others who they have infected.

We need you to 'Stand up and be Counted', to do this you can do several things, dependent on your country where you live.

1. Post to 'Stand Up And Be Counted' Infection Topics
Post a comment here at this site in your country or regions room, in the topic for the infection that you have been told you were infected with.
These are going to be online petitions to present to your government's Computer Experts and Ministers or Representatives. Please try to make them as detailed as you can explaining :-
A. Where you are from.
B. What you were infected with.
C. If possible, the URL or Website you were infected at.
D. How inconvenienced you were, in money or time.
E. What you would like them, your government, to do about the issue.
Please do not use bad language as we will then need to remove your posts so your 'vote' would not then count.

2. Country Specific Actions
Follow the announce topic in your countries room. It will have detailed methods and procedures for you to follow which are country specific.
A. It could include you doing an email or paper mail to your government.
B. It could involve you filing an online complaint with some government agency.
In each country our anti-malware fighters have worked out the best way for you to complain.

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Microsoft Hard-Balling EU Over Vista

By Michael Hickins

Microsoft is spreading the word that it might not ship Vista to Europe if regulators don't cooperate.

This after CEO Steve Ballmer issued that same threat to European Commissioner Neelie Kroes during a telephone conversation on Aug. 22.

Microsoft is now taking its brinksmanship to the next level by making the substance of that conversation public, through the use of emissaries.

"This is part of the negotiating strategy," a person familiar with the situation told internetnews.com. "They're in a public relations battle."

Microsoft made the same threat to South Korean regulators, but did not follow through when they lost that battle.

In this instance, Microsoft is complaining that Kroes has not been clear enough with Ballmer about what it will take for Microsoft to win commission approval for Vista, the new operating system.

Recent history between the European Commission and Microsoft suggests that the Redmond, Wash.-based software vendor will come out on the short end of any regulatory battle.

The EC fined Microsoft $357 million earlier this year for failing to live up to earlier anti-competitive decrees.

No wonder then that Microsoft is trying to put a deal in place with the commission before Vista ships, rather than waiting for it to rule on the new operating system's merits after the fact.

The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA), a stalwart Microsoft ally in its ongoing battle with the commission, urged European regulators to clarify their position on Vista.

"We urge the EC to make their regulatory path clearer, more consistent and transparent," said Hugo Lueders, European director of public policy of CompTIA, in a statement.

He, too, noted that if the EU doesn't comply with this request, Microsoft may simply take its ball and play elsewhere.

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Linux on laptops

Although most modern laptops nowadays tend to scare people off with an ugly “Designed for Windows XP” mark, it does not mean that alternative operating systems, like GNU/Linux cannot be installed and function equally well. In this article I would like to describe a few common issues with Linux on laptops and maybe bust a few myths about using GNU/Linux on mobile computers.

Author: Borys Musielak

Which distro is good for your laptop?

First of all, my goal is not to start a distro war. Linux is Linux - you can adjust it to your goals no matter which is your free distribution of choice (I am not going to cover the commercial systems not available for free download - they have their own marketing and I don’t get paid to advertise their products). The adjustment process can be however time-consuming and not everyone is willing to spend hours to get a stable and working OS on their mobile machines. Fortunately there are a few Linux distros for non-geeks out there, which are prepared to work with mobile computers out of the box.

One of the popular distros which are known for good laptop support is openSUSE. The support for mobile devices has been improved a lot in the recent releases, especially when it comes to wireless cards support, hibernation, energy saving, and popular notebook ports like FireWire, IRDa and PCMCIA. Ubuntu Linux is another strong player on the mobile computers market. It is also one of the top Linux distros in terms of out-of-the box WiFi support. Some other laptop-friendly distros are: Mandriva, Aurox and Fedora Core. Of course it does not mean that you cannot get the most of your laptop using Debian, Slackware, Gentoo or any other “hardcore” distro. It will be just a little more painful, especially if you’re a newbie Linux user [the target of this article ] - most of the installation and configuration tasks needs to be done manually.

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AOL Calls On IM-based VoIP

By Andy Patrizio

As part of the kick off of its new IM-based telephony service, AOL is sponsoring a contest to build new applications that take advantage of new AIM APIs (define).

The Open AIM program already has 50,000 registered developers working on building custom plugins, communications clients and mashups that access AOL's instant messaging network.

At the upcoming VON Fall conference, AOL will introduce a trio of new APIs for building AIM Phoneline applications. They will offer personalized ringtones and ringback tones, support for USB devices and phone adapters, and call management functionality.

The latter will offer caller ID and allow for context and relevance-based call handling that could treat each call differently. Some calls can be routed to voice mail, others to AIM, or to email. Voice mail is saved as an audio file and forwarded as an attachment in email.

Microsoft Investigates Word 2000 Trojan

By Ed Sutherland

Microsoft (Quote, Chart) said it has launched an investigation into reports of a new Trojan horse targeting Word 2000.

While security vendors differ on the possible severity, the news has awakened the software giant.

"Microsoft is investigating new public reports of limited 'zero-day' attacks using a vulnerability in Microsoft Word 2000," according to a Wednesday security advisory.

Potentially, Windows users could open a specially crafted Word file enabling a hacker to corrupt system memory and execute "arbitrary code," according to Microsoft.

However, Microsoft said any attacks require users to either open a malicious Word file or visit a Web site with a malformed Word file.

To avoid the vulnerability, Microsoft suggested Word 2000 users do not open files from un-trusted sources and use Word Viewer 2003 to view files.

The company also said it had updated its Windows Live OneCare safety scanner to seek out and destroy any software exploiting the flaw.

Once the investigation is complete, Microsoft could provide a security update through usual monthly releases or offer an out-of-cycle update, according to a statement.

Two major security vendors say exploits are now appearing that use the flaw to implant a Trojan horse, creating a backdoor into Windows systems.

Both McAfee (Quote, Chart) and Symantec (Quote, Chart) rated the risk as low.

Microsoft Windows Vista Release Candidate 1

Yes, RC1 is finally here. And now the company awaits feedback from one of its largest test programs ever. Is it solid enough to meet the announced ship dates? PC Magazine tells you what they think.

By John Clyman

It's been a long time coming, but Windows Vista Release Candidate 1 is finally here. As Microsoft starts to collect feedback from a broad spectrum of users in one of its largest test programs ever, the company will soon be in a position to decide whether the product is solid enough to meet announced ship dates of November for enterprise customers and January 2007 for consumers.

Earlier this week, I started using Vista build 5568, a version that Microsoft says should be virtually indistinguishable from the actual RC1 code. Since recent Vista revisions have been focusing on improving performance, compatibility, and stability rather than adding features, there's not a lot to highlight that's truly new. Instead, I've compiled a walkthrough of 100 screen shots recapping what Vista looks like from top to bottom.

The most pressing question for RC1 is whether it shows that Vista is good enough to ship. In my experience so far, it's getting a lot closer, but it's not quite there yet. Microsoft representatives acknowledge that the term "Release Candidate" might be slightly confusing, as it implies a non-zero probability that the code might be what actually goes into production—which clearly isn't the case for RC1.

With build 5568, I've encountered recurring problems when resuming from sleep, anomalous network behavior, and some performance issues. That said, for the most part, the experience is remarkably good—enough so that I'm thinking I may finally be able to start using Vista as a production platform. Most of the flaws I've encountered are minor nuisances rather than showstoppers.

Some of the improvements RC1 offers over beta 2 are substantial. Installation proceeds much more quickly—about 30 minutes on a newly-formatted partition, versus an hour or so in the past. My hardware devices have all been recognized during or immediately after the installation process. (Microsoft claims to have dramatically improved hardware support lately, particularly for wireless devices, printers, Serial ATA controls, and Media Center tuners.)

The UAC (User Account Control) security feature has been tuned to be far less intrusive—it can no longer steal focus from an active application, for example—and there's an easy way to turn it off if you find it unbearable. RC1 also lets non-administrator users install ActiveX controls approved by corporate IT.

Bundled applications like Windows Media Player 11 that were flaky in earlier builds have so far proved solid. Of a few dozen third-party software packages, only a couple have shown overt compatibility issues.

Bad Websites Beware

Posted by Christina Thu, 27 Jul 2006 11:23:00 GMT

Last Friday we released StopBadware.org’s first website report (available here). Why evaluate websites? For one thing, badware doesn’t appear on users’ computers out of thin air—much of it (maybe even most of it) is hosted on websites that make a profit from distributing these bad applications. Given the often close relationships between badware and the bad sites that distribute it, it made sense for StopBadware.org to start shining a light on the websites themselves, not just the applications they host for download. In that vein, we’ve come up with some fairly basic internal guidelines for judging badware-distributing sites. Short version: if a site distributes or hosts any badware applications, then the site itself is considered bad. These guidelines are likely to evolve as we encounter difficult cases and have to make some tough decisions about how much and what type of badware renders a website bad.

Our first website report focuses on www.ThemeXP.org. The ThemeXP site features graphical modifications for Microsoft Windows such as themes, wallpaper, and icons. However, many of the downloads on the site are “wrapped” with badware. Because the wrapped badware is essentially the same from one piece of content to the next, we decided to review the entire site instead of a single download. You can expect to see more website reports like this one in the near future. If you’d like to suggest websites for us to review, shoot us an email at contact@stopbadware.org. And if you’d like to give us feedback on our new website report format, check out the StopBadware discussion group.

WinFixer 2005, WinFixer 2006

We find that WinFixer 2005 and WinFixer 2006 are badware because they do not provide users with their licensing agreements during installation, they make exaggerated claims of "severe system threats" to the user's computer, and do not disclose that they will automatically launch whenever the user starts Windows. In addition, WinFixer 2005 installs a possible rootkit.

We currently recommend that users do not install the version of WinFixer that we tested, unless the user is comfortable with the level of risk we identify or until the application is updated consistent with the recommendations in this report.

StopBadware.org releases report on AOL 9.0

by Christina Mon, 28 Aug 2006 11:22:00 GMT

Our latest report, on the free version of AOL 9.0, is a bit of a departure from some of the applications we have highlighted in the past. Perhaps John Palfrey, the executive director of the Berkman Center and one of StopBadware.org’s principles, puts it best: “AOL has a long and storied history of being a leader in the fight against badware. AOL plainly does not belong in the same category as the all-too-prevalent, garden variety badware providers. But the free version of AOL 9.0 that we tested, in our view, does not live up to the company’s rich legacy. AOL is a trusted brand in the Internet service space. What we are calling on AOL to do today is to honor that trust by telling users exactly what they’re putting on their computers, give users an easy way to opt out of having so many programs installed and running after download, and ensure that users can uninstall all the applications they don’t want on their computers.”

Palfrey adds, “We’ve been very impressed with [AOL’s] response since we sent them the draft report and we look forward to working with them to address the concerns that we are raising in our preliminary findings.”

Skype Privacy Alert

Skype has urged its customers to ensure they protect their privacy when using its net telephony service after a man allegedly exposed himself to a young girl via webcam.

The 12-year-old girl from the UK had started using the Skype service to chat to her father but inadvertently switched on a setting that displays customer details to all other Skype users. The pair asked not to be named.

She received a chat message from another Skype customer which she ignored. However, according to the girl's father, within seconds the same person started a video call via a webcam and his daughter was faced with a man exposing himself to her.