Story on ShowEQ

[Zor]

http://www.pbs.org/cringely/pulpit/pulpit20021114.html

Thought you'd be interested. :P

[high_jeeves]

Lol... sounds like somebody summarized these message boards from the last three weeks, and got paid for it... well, i guess a little publicity is better than none.

--Jeeves

[RavenCT]

Originally posted in the above article

Maybe you have seen a new virtual postcard from Friend Greetings, owned by an outfit called Permissioned Media. It prompts you to install their software to view the card. You are then presented with a EULA granting them permission to e-mail all the Contacts in your Outlook Address Book. Those people are presented with an e-mail from you telling them they have a greeting card to pick up. So, this thing spreads like a worm, but it isn't strictly a worm since we have presumably agreed to participate. Most of the anti-virus sites have sections discussing the phenomenon, but none are yet detecting it as a virus or worm.

I love this idea. Friend Greetings and Permissioned Media are not good guys in any sense, but they might do a good service for us all. This EULA thing has gotten out of hand. We are clicking-away rights that we shouldn't and sure it is because we are lazy, but even lazy people shouldn't be victimized. It is time for someone to take Permissioned Media down. Any volunteers? By taking legal action against this two-bit outfit, the whole EULA issue can be dealt with and Microsoft doesn't have to be involved UNLESS, OF COURSE, THEY COME AS A FRIEND OF THE COURT FOR PERMISSIONED MEDIA. That would be like Jerry Falwell testifying for Larry Flynt, which he actually once did (they are friends sort of -- go figure). But Permissioned Media is so obviously in the wrong here that we just might get our rights back if someone moves quickly.


The company I work for got struck with this "worm" that users "authorized"... and I can tell you, they weren't happy to have the e-mail system for over 20,000 users shut down for the better half of a day trying to kill it!

He he he, this might actually be the first time that a "hacker" or pseudo-virus writer has done something that may actually turn out productive in the end! :D

[PainNSuffering]

This almost makes me feel like playing script kiddy role. coding a shit load of visruses and putting EULA's on all of them. then, demanding $ for any unathorized of my program.