FTC Finally Throws The Book At Zango

Legal Issues

from the install-this! dept

Could it be that the long saga of Zango, formerly known as 180 Solutions, coming to an end? The company, as you’ll recall, is one of the most notorious and relentless distributors of spyware, which like many others in the business has made some <href=”https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20050907/0218214.shtml”>half-hearted attempts at cleaning up its act. But it seemed like only a matter of time before the law would eventually catch up to it, particularly since the FTC recently started cracking down on spyware vendors. Today comes the good news that Zango has agreed to a substantial fine from the FTC with the promise that never surreptitiously install software on users’ computers. The terms of the deal, and definition of spyware, seem pretty direct so it’s doubtful that the company will be able to find much wiggle room, though we imagine they’ll try, no doubt claiming that this time it’s reformed for real. Still, it’s hard to imagine that without the sneaky installs the company will have much of a business to speak of.