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Home:   Society:   Issues:   Business:   Allegedly Unethical Firms:   Ezula

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Mystery links: New Web advertising tool gets results, draws criticism  - http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2001/07/30/BU231339.DTL  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  - http://slashdot.org/features/01/07/31/2015216.shtml  Web owners upset by changed content; describes an "opt-out" procedure.  Whirly Wiry Web: Fighting Ezula  - http://www.whirlywiryweb.com/q/ezula.asp  Discussion of web design to detect and defeat contextual advertising, including recognizing the HotText and TopText plugins.  You got the yellow linking Virus?  - http://www.funs.co.uk/virus/  Gives information on how to remove/unistall TopText, and links to other more detailed resources.  eZula and Surf+ Script Killer  - http://www.searchking.com/ezulakiller/  Provides a script killer for the eZula software. Also works on Surf+.  WebHostingTalk Forums: KaZaa is Hijacking Traffic!  - http://www.webhostingtalk.com/showthread.php?threadid=18027&perpage=20&pagenumber=1  Webmasters and surfers, mostly disapproving of the embedded advertising links.  PetitionOnline: eZula  - http://www.PetitionOnline.com/toptext/  Petition protesting insertion of advertising links on web pages.  Advanced HTML For Beginners: Yellow links can destroy your day and your income  - http://www.ahfb2000.com/webmaster_help_desk/showthread.php?s=&threadid=301  Forum thread on the eZula "scumware" and possible responses.  Applelinks: Another New Technology to Deep-Six  - http://www.applelinks.com/articles/2001/08/20010803142336.shtml  Editorial suggesting "loud, pointed, organized protests" against this attempt to "take over your web pages."  PCWorld: Latest Online Ad Gimmick: Hyperlinks  - http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,57064,00.asp  "Advertisers try aggressive (and annoying) hyperlink technology to make the Web pay."  ReveNews: CJ Profits from Ezula's Hijacked Links  - http://www.revenews.com/archives/00000138.html  Article on Commission Junction's apparent blessing of Ezula's links, followed by a lively discussion.  ThiefWare.com  - http://www.thiefware.com/  Information and resources primarily for webmasters who wish to fight unethical contextual advertising.  Protect Your Web Site from Unwanted Linking  - http://www.unwantedlinks.com/  Explains how the eZula system works and provides resources that allow users to remove it and to help web site owners protect their sites from unwanted advertising insertion.  Planet Doom: The Yellow-Link Virus  - http://planetdoomportal.searchking.com/website-theftware/  Information for webmasters and surfers about the eZula TopText browser plugin and a similar program called Surf+.  Foistware  - http://www.cexx.org/toptext.htm  Information to help users and webmasters identify when Top Text is installed.  Ethics in Advertising  - http://www.rubak.com/article.cfm?ID=13  Editorial asking "How far should advertising go?" Examines eZula's browser plug in as a specific example of unethical advertising.  TrafficG Yellow and Green Link Killer  - http://www.trafficg.com/scumware/index.htm  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+?  - http://www.cotse.com/8202001.html  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  - http://www.associateprograms.com/search/newsletter173.shtml  Explains how Top Text and similar programs can negatively affect income streams, particularly for sites that use affilate programs.  Salon.com: The parasite economy  - http://www.salon.com/tech/feature/2001/08/02/parasite_capital/index.html  Examines the spread of both "spyware" and programs that add commercial links to websites. KaZaa's distribution of eZula is heavily featured.  StopScum  - http://www.stopscum.com/  Resources, news and forums for the fight against contextual advertising.  Scumware Stealing Your Traffic and Revenue  - http://graphicdesign.searchking.com/aug2001.html  Portal News article about the fight against unauthorized ad link insertion.  geek/talk Forums at GeekVillage  - http://www.geekvillage.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=12175  Discussion about the eZula TopText defacement in the context of copyright violation.  San Diego Daily Transcript: 'Poachware' Routes Computer Users To Alternate Web Sites  - http://www.sddt.com/Search/article.cfm?SourceCode=20010827tba  Article about anti-competitive involuntary hyperlinks being placed by Top Text (aka ContextPro).  SgtSearch.com Blacklisted Advertisers  - http://www.sgtsearch.co.uk/blacklist/ttext.html  Provides coding web masters can add to their pages to prevent Top Text inserted links.  c|net Tech News: Chorus of Gator critics grows  - http://news.com.com/2100-1023-272244.html  Article on Interactive Advertising Bureau's possible regulatory complaint over Gator's ad insertion. Also discusses Top Text and the effort against it.  Search Engine Watch: Forget Smart Tags; TopText Is Doing What You Feared  - http://www.searchenginewatch.com/sereport/article.php/2164091  Editorial decrying stealth download tactics, copyright and other legal violations.  c|net Tech News: Peer-to-peer exchanges court advertisers  - http://news.com.com/2100-1023-271020.html  Article describing the financial arrangements, briefly mentioning the controversy.