StopBadware.org Labels RealPlayer Software as Badware (PDF; 21 KB)
Source: StopBadware.org (Harvard Law School’s Berkman Center for Internet & Society and Oxford University’s Oxford Internet Institute)
StopBadware.org, the consumer protection initiative developed to combat badware, today released an alert about RealNetworks, Inc.’s RealPlayer software application. The group found RealPlayer version 10.5 to be badware because of inadequate disclosure of advertising behavior and RealPlayer version 11 to be badware because it bundles an additional application without disclosure.
RealPlayer 11 is the current version of the application, offered on http://www.real.com as an internet video and multimedia player. RealPlayer 10.5 is an older version which is still widely distributed through such sites as BBC Radio and through the Firefox web browser’s “missing plug-in” capability.
The report highlights two areas of concern:
+ The Software does not fully, accurately, clearly, and conspicuously disclose the principal and significant features and functionality of the application prior to installation – The advertising software bundled with RealPlayer is misleadingly called a ‘message center’, and is described incompletely and inconspicuously in the EULA as software designed to provide useful software updates. When RealPlayer 10.5 is installed, the advertising features of this ‘message center’ are enabled by default for users who choose not to register their personal information with RealNetworks after the software is installed.
+ Software installs deceptively – RealPlayer 11 does not disclose that it installs Rhapsody Player Engine, and does not remove this software when RealPlayer is uninstalled. Users are not informed by the installer or uninstaller of the connection between RealNetworks and Rhapsody Player Engine.
This entry was posted
on Thursday, January 31st, 2008 at 5:04 pm and is filed under Consumer issues, Internet, Privacy, Technology.
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