utorrent is it adware?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Aaron
  • Start date Start date
A

Aaron

http://anti-virus-rants.blogspot.com/2006/05/does-torrent-contain-adware-
spyware.html

<Quote>

Nothing is placed on the user's machine [when the NanoTorrent browser
opens,]” Ludvid explains. “It's an advertisement inside the web browser
only, the ad comes from a webserver owned by me, and it's removed when the
window is closed. No cookies at all are installed, not even my own…The ads
are generated by the script on the webserver. The µTorrent client as such
does not contain any ads. They are generated by the webserver and shown
through a php script to the webbrowser when the user searches.”

so it does in fact display ads - and not just by accident, the browser is
directed to his own site to display ads hosted there... the fact that the
ads are not contained in the bittorrent client is not really an issue -
adware doesn't need to contain the ads it displays, it just needs to
display ads... the fact that the client isn't actually displaying the ads
in a window that's part of the client itself but instead uses a browser
window is also not really an issue, plenty of adware uses browser windows
to display their ads (it saves them from having to reinvent the wheel)

<quote>

I'll let you guys who like to debate about definitions worry about this
one.
 
so it does in fact display ads - and not just by accident, the browser
is directed to his own site to display ads hosted there... the fact
that the ads are not contained in the bittorrent client is not really
an issue - adware doesn't need to contain the ads it displays, it just
needs to display ads... the fact that the client isn't actually
displaying the ads in a window that's part of the client itself but
instead uses a browser window is also not really an issue, plenty of
adware uses browser windows to display their ads (it saves them from
having to reinvent the wheel)

<quote>

I'll let you guys who like to debate about definitions worry about
this one.
Click to expand...

well, I just took a look at my currently running uTorrent...and I don't
see any ads. and no ads have been coming up when I start it or close it
(and no browser window either)

there may be ads on the website, but how does that apply?
 
wyrwolf said:
well, I just took a look at my currently running uTorrent...and I don't
see any ads. and no ads have been coming up when I start it or close it
(and no browser window either)

there may be ads on the website, but how does that apply?
Click to expand...

From what it says apparently, if you use the search bar in utorrent it will
redirect you to a framed site with the search results and adverts. Let's
say for the sake of argument that your search terms are logged and tracked,
would that be sufficient to make utorrent spyware or adware?
 
From what it says apparently, if you use the search bar in utorrent it
will
redirect you to a framed site with the search results and adverts. Let's
say for the sake of argument
Click to expand...

let's just not
 
In message <[email protected]> Aaron
From what it says apparently, if you use the search bar in utorrent it will
redirect you to a framed site with the search results and adverts. Let's
say for the sake of argument that your search terms are logged and tracked,
would that be sufficient to make utorrent spyware or adware?
Click to expand...

Does that make IE spyware or adware because it displays a web-based ad
interface when you use the search interface?
 
In message <[email protected]> Aaron


Does that make IE spyware or adware because it displays a web-based ad
interface when you use the search interface?
Click to expand...

Given that it is utorrent that does the re-direct, I would say if you want
to point fingers it should be at utorrent.

After all there are adware programs that use web browsers to launch popup
ads. And we call those programs adware.
 
In message <[email protected]> Aaron
Given that it is utorrent that does the re-direct, I would say if you want
to point fingers it should be at utorrent.

After all there are adware programs that use web browsers to launch popup
ads. And we call those programs adware.
Click to expand...

Perhaps -- However, as I understand it, uTorrent isn't offering the ads
itself, it simply links to other sites that have ads.
 
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