DMOZ Internet Directory : Society : Issues : Business : Allegedly_Unethical

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Ezula.com makes a plugin for Microsoft Internet Explorer that replaces text within web pages with links to advertisers' sites. Many webmasters have objected to links specifically featuring their competitors; others have more general objections based on the perceived integrity of their work after it has been infiltrated by links which they have not reviewed, or have reviewed and disapproved.

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ThiefWare.com - Information and resources primarily for webmasters who wish to fight unethical contextual advertising. Mystery links: New Web advertising tool gets results, draws criticism - San Francisco Chronicle: mentions concerns about the ethics of covert advertising, and commercial firms outraged by links to competitors' sites. Slashdot: Don't Eat the Yellow Links - Web owners upset by changed content; describes an "opt-out" procedure. You got the yellow linking Virus? - Gives information on how to remove/unistall TopText, and links to other more detailed resources. Foistware - Information to help users and webmasters identify when Top Text is installed. TrafficG Yellow and Green Link Killer - Provides script to disable Top Text and Surf+. Documents source code alterations made by these programs. COTSE: You may have heard of Microsoft Smart Tags, but have you seen Ezula and Surf+? - A webmaster's editorial accusing TopText and Intelsoft International's Surf+ of theft, false advertising, and deceptive self-promotion. Associate Programs Newsletter: How to stop Scumware from defacing your website - Explains how Top Text and similar programs can negatively affect income streams, particularly for sites that use affiliate programs. geek/talk Forums at GeekVillage - Discussion about the eZula TopText defacement in the context of copyright violation. San Diego Daily Transcript: 'Poachware' Routes Computer Users To Alternate Web Sites - Article about anti-competitive involuntary hyperlinks being placed by Top Text (aka ContextPro). c|net Tech News: Peer-to-peer exchanges court advertisers - Article describing the financial arrangements, briefly mentioning the controversy. c|net Tech News: Chorus of Gator critics grows - Article on Interactive Advertising Bureau's possible regulatory complaint over Gator's ad insertion. Also discusses Top Text and the effort against it.

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