Verizon's Idea Of Security: We Block Spyware... Unless It's From Our Partners

from the security-for-the-weak dept

Rich Kulawiec writes in after digging a bit deeper into a well publicized study done for Verizon, claiming that most Americans have a false sense of security on their computers. Digging a little deeper, you realize that the "study" is really a marketing ploy for a new security service Verizon is offering with RadialPoint (oddly, this seems to come just two months after Verizon announced a different security service). As for this new offering, there's a free scan and then a subscription service. Of course, in order to run the security scan on your computer you need to: (1) be running windows (2) disable your pop-up blocker and (3) run IE. As Kulawiec notes, "none of which are good ideas for anyone who actually cares about security." Kulawiec then went to check out the terms of service for the subscription offering and found some questionable claims:

a. You acknowledge, agree and consent to the following: (i)
the Radialpoint Software, in its default configuration, does
not block ads from third parties or Verizon or its affiliates
and business partners, and may not identify as spyware certain
websites and applications from Verizon and its affiliates or
business partners,

and

(ii) Radialpoint Inc. and/or Verizon and
its affiliates have the right and do access and modify the
Software as well as the software (including registry settings
on your computer) and/or your hardware for various purposes
in connection with the Service (e.g. for the installation and
implementation of the Software and updates to it) as well as
to download, install and/or gather, obtain, collect and then
use, in relation to the delivery and operation of Services,
various information and data, including information necessary
to identify you and your computer to ensure that Services are
received as well as information necessary for the reporting of
these services , and (iii) use of such information and data by
Verizon will be in accordance with Verizon's privacy policy.

That certainly sounds like Verizon won't block spyware from ad partners and will also spy on you and report the data back to Verizon. Yikes. No wonder people's computers aren't as secure as they think. If they're installing Verizon's anti-spyware offering, the company's own terms of service make it clear that you're basically opening up your computer to them. As for not blocking partner company's spyware, that's the same thing that Yahoo got into trouble over years ago -- but apparently Verizon hopes people have forgotten.

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