Aluria Trys To Whitewash The WhenU Fiasco
By Robin Laudanski
March 2, 2006
Some of you might remember back in October of 2004 Aluria Software delisted WhenU and Certified them as being Spyware Safe. Would it suprise you to find out it now appears Aluria is trying to cover their tracks? Isn't it wonderful the internet has such extensive resources that even when a company or individual tries to cover up something they did it is almost impossible to completely remove it. In previous articles written by CastleCops Staff on WhenU, Aluria and AOL there were many links going back to Aluria both to their support forums and press releases, imagine my suprise when the pages those links pointed to suddenly don't exist. In some cases the link isn't dead, rather it points to a new location eg. Aluria_Certifies_WhenU That link should point to the original press release from Aluria, but it doesn't. All press related material are redirected to the same location in the same manner.
Just to be clear, let's look at the information which is available. We have taken snapshots to ensure the information can't be swept under the carpet and denied in the future as it seems to be rapidly disappearing.
This is a Google cache of Aluria's press release page which shows "Aluria certifies WhenU" back in Nov 2004:
Today's Press page for Aluria has no indication of at least three WhenU related press releases as shown in the cache above. Missing are
WhenU Drops ActiveX,
When Bad Companies Go Good and
Aluria Certifies WhenU:
Google query shows "Aluria certifies WhenU" returns for aluriasoftware.com:
Press release exists over at WhenU:
We also have the WhenU press release available as a
PDF
At 6:30 PM EST this link was still alive. At 7:55 PM EST it now redirects to Aluria's index page:
http://www.aluriasoftware.com/spyware-safe/site/www.whenu.com/
Please note the certification date on the image above.
But wait theres more.... Aluria concurrently lists WhenU as Spyware:
However when you click on one of those links, instead of getting Spyware information, you are greeted with a page that says it is "consumerware".
I tried to determine what exactly consumerware is, I found this in a press release from
Jan 1, 2005.
To give consumers a better understanding of the applications on their computers, Aluria’s SMART Scan technology includes a new category of application known as "Consumerware" - consumer-friendly ad-supported software that adheres to Aluria’s Spyware Safe Certification Criteria, doesn’t pose the same risks as spyware and can be easily removed from a user’s computer. ASE 4.0 gives users the ability to detect Consumerware files, receive information about the applications and remove them if desired.
"In an increasingly complex world, the Consumerware category will give consumers more information and more power to decide what to keep and what to remove," said Rick Carlson, president of Aluria Software.
Interestingly enough
Zango by 180Solutions is also listed as "consumerware".
Read more about that and the SEC.
Anyone who has ever tried to remove 180Solutions knows full well that it isn't an easy task, so I'm not entirely sure how it fits into the "consumerware" grouping as defined above.
I did speak with Ross Levanto. He is listed as
Aluria's PR contact through Schwartz Communications. Mr. Levanto informed me that despite the fact that he is the PR Contact, I needed to speak with David Goldstone. I did leave a message for Mr. Goldstone inquiring as to why references to Aluria's delisting WhenU has been removed from the Aluria website. At the time this was published Mr. Goldstone hadn't responded to my inquiry.
The question is why the turn around? Why try to remove the history of something they made such a big deal of to begin with? We previously published an
Open letter to Aluria and
Aluria's response, in addition to an
interview with AOL regarding the delisting of WhenU because AOL was using one of Aluria's SpywareEliminator.
Aluria... what exactly are you trying to hide? What is the point in trying to remove any trace of ever having delisted WhenU? Do you think that it will improve public opinion of the company or of the products you offer? I suppose it might have had some good impact if you weren't caught in the act, but you were. Information is being systematically stripped from the Aluria website even as I'm writing this article in what appears to be a sad attempt to sanitize you against being associated with WhenU. It reminds me of the backroom shredding session seen in the "Devil's Advocate". What are you going to say in your own defense? We didn't delist WhenU? Everyone knows that is a lie, there is simply too much information out there to cover up. Better start working on your cover story because database failure, accidental deletion, errant employee and a myriad of other poor excuses aren't going to cut it in the consumer or enterprise world. You would have been better off to simply admit your mistake in a press release and cut your losses.
Here are some more links taken from previous articles written on Aluria and WhenU:
Is Aluria Confused??
WhenU Partnered with Aluria: Are You Tired of Seeing the Ads Yet?
Aluria Responds to WhenU Marriage
Aluria, WhenU, and Avi Naider
Aluria Software Delisted
Gag Me
WhenU Enters the Anti-Spyware Market
WhenU Spams Google, Breaks Google "No Cloaking" Rules
Eighty-Seven Percent of WhenU Users Are Unaware They Are Using It
The "Lure" of Aluria
Aluria Software- Friend or Foe?
Aluria's Deal with Adware Vendor Sparks Debate
Anti-Spyware Vendor Partners with Spyware Company?
You the consumer be the judge. Does coverup = trust worthy application?
