Would you believe that AOL actively installs spyware on your computer?
* waiting for readers to resume their seats after falling off *
It is the Viewpoint Manager and Mediaplayer. If you look in your Add/Remove programs link under Control Panel, you may well find it lurking there. What is its harm? Read here.
Once you remove it, you have to periodically delete the Viewpoint Media Player, which inexplicably gets reinstalled (tonight was the 3rd time I had to uninstall it) as well as all the directories (they can be found in C:/Documents and Settings/admin/Application Data). Since my problems with spyware in late March, I've become very wary of all this sort of rubbish. I still get periodical pop-ups, but cleaning out cookies and blocking nefarious sites is a help.
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Thanks for the tip
ReplyDeleteyasmin
Thanks for the tip, Guido. will check into it.
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Gina
Thanks for letting me know about this, I was unaware AOL would be so nefarious!
ReplyDelete(Hugs) Indigo
Maybe thats what the problem with my computer was all about and the Norten thing? Because I still don't understand what the problem was with my computer, except I had 2 conflicting spyware and virus protecters on my computer and didn't know it. gggrrr! Thanks for the heads up!
ReplyDeleteLisa
I suppose technically it is spyware as one of my programs removed it once, but without Viewpoint a lot of the little extras in the AOL software won't work/run correctly. Like environment presets and preferences. So, I think it "spys" to remember all the little things you like. - Barbara
ReplyDeleteThanks for the warning! I'm actually not surprised. I had some problems with spyware in March, also. Had to take my desktop in to a tech to have it removed.
ReplyDeleteLori
Guido -- I have to take issue with your characterization of the Viewpoint Media Player as spyware. There was something of a debate on this when it first bubbled up a few years ago (you can find various discussions about it if you search on "viewpoint" and "spyware").
ReplyDeleteThe Viewpoint FAQ is here -- it also gives you the steps on how to remove it: http://www.viewpoint.com/installer/v4/html/vmp_faq.html#q9
Also, here's their privacy policy: http://www.viewpoint.com/privacy-policy.shtml
Viewpoint is a media player that is bundled with AOL, AIM & other software -- it is the thing that makes SuperBuddy icons and animated wallpapers work, among other things.
While people may not know that it's installed with AIM/AOL, or what it does (which is something we could probably message better), it's not spyware.
(I'm not a Viewpoint expert, but I did do Expressions content programming for a while.)
Thanks -- Joe
Joe,
ReplyDeleteThanks for comment on the Viewpoint Mediaplayer. In writing this post, I went on information supplied to me by the Search & Destroy messageboard, who assisted me in removing spyware which bugged my PC a few weeks ago. Since this experience I am very sensitive to software that inexplicably finds its way onto my computer. I could supply another 3 links telling the same story, alleging that Viewpoint is spyware.
I am grateful for your explanation, and am glad that my pinprick may prompt the powers that be @ AOL to clarify their policies. It would be a good PR exercise to announce that Viewpoint is part and parcel of the AOL software bundle.
WOW.... I SURE AM GLAD now i am on the free aol..... I have aol 9.0 on here but I use AIM 5.9 with my AOL sn and OUTLOOK 2003 to get my aol email.... and I just have the 9.0 ON HERE if i want to change my password or I get one of those DREDDED TOS... BLAH... Which I havent got one of those in ages lololol
ReplyDeletetake care,
Nice blog btw
Christopher
http://journals.aol.com/cmarlow330/ChristophersJournal/