The Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT) and the Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic (CIPPIC) together with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) last week filed a complaint against Integrated Search Technologies (IST) and its affiliates for the illegal distribution of spyware and unsolicited parasitical programs. A complaint is currently under consideration. However, it sounds like it will be complied with. This may lead to a verdict similar to that in the Enternet Media case.
Plaintiffs accuse IST and other defendants including the infamous Surf Accuracy, Internet Optimizer, ContextPlus, Meridian Business Venture and NegativeBeats.com companies in the following offences: illegal distribution of advertising software that deceives users; ActiveX drive-by downloads and stealth installation of up to 12 different spyware and adware parasites, browser hijackers, etc. instead of promised files; delivery of unsolicited advertisements and commercial pop-ups; complicated removal of unsolicited software. A complaint assigns individual charges for each defendant.
IST and its mentioned affiliates became notorious for the distribution of malicious parasites including ISTbar, YourSiteBar, SideFind, SlotchBar, Toolbarcash, SurfAccuracy, QuickLinks, Internet Optimizer. These threats are still silently installed to thousands of user computers worldwide. 2-Spyware.com visitors almost daily complain about these pests to us. It must be noticed that all these threats are the real cause why a complaint was filed. If CDT, CIPPIC and FTC will win this case, IST as well as its affiliates will be ordered to shut down illegal spyware operation. Thousands of users would finally get rid of endless advertisements, browser hijacks, stealth downloads and other threats posed by IST parasites.
