“They’re trying to get as many people as possible to fall for this.” “The idea is they know people just click through installers,” Lyon explained in an interview with VentureBeat.
CNET MICROSOFT EDGE DOWNLOAD SOFTWARE
We only show offers for software that is approved for listing on has undergone additional screening to ensure compliance with the Software Policies.”įor Lyon, it’s not about the decline option, but more about the branding of his company’s name on the installer and the quick-clicking nature of people trying to get through the download cycle. “Users will encounter a single offer during their download, which is clearly disclosed and provides the option to accept or decline it before proceeding with the download. But Nmap founder, and self proclaimed hacker of the good kind, Gordon Lyon is still upset with the use of the installer on his software.ĬNET explains the special offers in its FAQ section: After taking some heat from its original design, CNET changed its installer to include a “decline” button on the special offers page. The proprietary installer is only available on some software, and customers who don’t wish to use it can use the software’s download URL to bypass it. CNET was effectively force feeding advertising to users. Once done, the installer would change your homepage or launch a toolbar the next time you opened your Internet browser. Since users couldn’t opt-out, they found the process skeevy. At that time, the customer could only click “next” if they wanted to complete the download (see screenshot right).
CNET MICROSOFT EDGE DOWNLOAD INSTALL
At the beginning, the installer took you through a couple of steps, including one that offered to install a toolbar or new homepage for advertising purposes. Since released its installer in July, people have complained about the “special offers” portion. The company has made changes to let people opt out, but according to security software company Nmap, that isn’t enough. Were you unable to attend Transform 2022? Check out all of the summit sessions in our on-demand library now! Watch here.ĬNET ‘s proprietary software installer downloads “special offer” toolbars and software that some businesses are calling malware.