OpenDNS Says Google-Dell Browser Tool is Spyware

PetManimal writes "David Ulevitch, the founder of OpenDNS, claims that Google and Dell have placed 'spyware' on Dell computers. Ulevitch made the claim based on his observation of the behavior of the Google Toolbar and homepage that comes preinstalled on IE in new Dell machines. He says that a browser redirector sends users who enter nonexistent URLs to a Dell-branded page loaded with Google ads. Another observer, Danny Sullivan, says that this is a different result than what happens on PCs without the redirector. However, the original article notes that Ulevitch has a vested interest in the results of mistyped URLs."

Can you really blame google

[Organized Konfusion]

This seems like junk that Dell have installed to make some cash one the side. If firefox bundled the same dns hijacker then who would you blame? Firefox or google?

Just because google make the tool doesn't mean its their fault that it is installed by default in a spywareish fashion.

Obligatory Google Reality Check

[i_want_you_to_throw_]

Google is a publicly traded company and as such here's what's important to them.....

Making money for their stockholders.

That means doing things like creating spyware if it helps their bottom line. The mantra of "Do no evil" becomes null and void once you become a publicly traded company. They should change their motto to "We do less evil than everyone else".

Google is going to do what is best in their corporate interest. Surprised? Don't be. It's business

OpenDNS is bummed

[Mr. Droopy Drawers]

The issue here is that Google / Dell beat OpenDNS to the punch. Both accomplish the same purpose: when a user types a malformed URL into the address bar, they get an "enhanced" experience.

OpenDNS is bummed that Google figured out a way to make money off the proposition. OpenDNS should have thought of that first.

OpenDNS is not open

[Anonymous Coward]

Dell is "monetizing" mistyped URL traffic, like OpenDNS. The customer has a choice which DNS server he uses and which preinstalled software he gets with a new computer (by choosing different vendors). Both do the same, for the same purpose. If I had to choose between the two, I'd choose Dell. At least they don't fly under a false flag, like OpenDNS, which only claims to be Open for marketing purposes.

Re:Claim is complete FUD

[wwmedia]

"Browser Address Error Redirector"

yea do you HONESTLY think that you average Joe user would uninstall a program with such a scary name? thats if they even understand 1 of the 4 words in that name!

Re:Obligatory Google Reality Check

[gnud]

Some would argue that doing no evil will prevent alienating consumers and customers, and thereby keeps the bottom line from dropping.

Not spyware

[mysidia]

The fact that it sends you to a custom page if you make a URL typo does not mean it is spyware. That's a visible change, and you would be hard-pressed not to notice the effects of the software, or the fact that it sends you to a Dell branded page.

Since Dell ships it to you that way, you have no meaningful opportunity to establish an expectation that the Dell system behave differently. I.E. Since the software "comes that way" for you, it's not as if the software made a change to your computer without your permission.

So not only is it not spyware, it's not malware, or software that secretly modified your system without authorization (because, you see, your system came that way in the first place).

Charter do it too

[ByteofK]

When I got broadband from Charter they changed my 404 settings to go to some Charter-specific search page and I had to go through some hyperlinked hoops to change it back to just plain old 404. I didn't look to see if they were earning from the pages.

David Ulevitch is a hipocrite

[binaryspiral]

Using OpenDNS redirects mistyped URLs to their own site.

http://www.opendns.com/faq/#how_does_opendns_make_ money [opendns.com]

How does OpenDNS make money?

OpenDNS makes money by offering clearly labeled advertisements alongside organic search results when the domain entered is not valid and not a typo we can fix. OpenDNS will provide additional services on top of its enhanced DNS service, and some of them may cost money. Speedy, reliable DNS will always be free.

Now, to be fair I use OpenDNS at home, but I find it hard to take this kind of warning from a person who makes money the same way.

Re:Instructions to Remove

[cmorgan47]

hen my friend bought a Dell, I brought a case of beer over and we took his Windows install disc and we re-installed Windows.

i with you on the rest of the post, but as a good little Slashdotter you should know that the friend buys the beer.

Re:OpenDNS is bummed

[bodan]

I think he just meant that OpenDNS dislikes the sudden (and advantaged) competition. Anyway, I'm not sure I'd call "stealth" a page that has the owner's (Dell's) branding. It's not even hidden, it's just automatic. (Yes, if you're a beginner you don't know that it's optional, but that's true of WMP, the Flash plugin and Java, too.) Nevermind, that wasn't why I answered. When you say you "have the option of switching away to other forwarders", do you mean there's something like OpenDNS that doesn't do that messy redirect? I want a DNS that tells me when it doesn't find something, not try guessing. It's hugely annoying when the Java applications I work on (or SSH for that matter) try to connect to the OpenDNS search engine whenever I mistype an URL. My ISP provides absolutely abysmal DNS service (it takes it a minute to find Google...) so I resorted to using the DNS of a random ISP I found by accident. But I don't have any guarantee that one will hold, and it's pretty far anyway.

Re:Claim is complete FUD

[jackbird]

How about "Google Website Address Assistant"? I don't know about you, but my add/remove programs list gets very long very fast, and something that fits into an alphabetical scheme with a clear indication of who put it there seems better than what they're using.

Re:Can you really blame google

[B'Trey]

How did Dell turn the software to spyware? They installed in on the machine, yes, but Google created it and dictated it's behavior. It allows Google to track every website you visit, even if you never intentionally use Google at all. It can be removed, but it's certainly not user friendly for a non-techie. You have to go through Control Panel, and the name is hardly intuitive (again, for a non-techie.) At the very least, there should be a simple "Uninstall" entry in the Start menu. Spyware? Eh, that's probably pushing it a little bit. But Google and Dell are pushing the edge of responsible, ethical behavior too.

Re:OpenDNS is bummed

[neoform]

Isn't the very nature of a 'toolbar' to in fact *be* spyware?

They all track what you view and send that info back to home base.

Re:Claim is complete FUD

[Odiumjunkie]

You're reducing the level of average Joe user's intelligence to such a level as to render meaningless your point. The type of person you describe is incapable of performing even the most trivial of computing tasks. The type of person you describe will not realise that a custom Google ad-laden error page is not the normal result of a mis-typed url or a bad link. The type of person you describe will believe that is just how the internet works, and will have no need or desire to disable such a page.

However, a person of reasonable intelligence who is capable of determining that the custom Google error page they see on their computer is not normal, and is resourceful enough to find an online resource that explains the problem and gives the name of the service they need to uninstall should be fully capable of disecting such a clear name.

"Browser" - Not terribly technical. "To browse the internet" is a very common phrase even amongst non-technical folks, and if one resorts to a dictionary compiled in the last four years the usage in reference to a computer program used to surf the internet will be noted.

"Address" - One hardly needs to have a degree in computer science to conflate the everyday usage of "address" to the technical usage - someone who has already realised that the problem arises from a bad link or a mis-typed URL should have no problems understanding this usage of "address".

"Error" - Once again, a completely clear, non-jargon usage of the word. It refers simply to a mistake in an entered URL ("address"). Very relatable for non-technical people.

"Redirector" - Are you kidding me? You think most people can't determine what "redirect" means? It's lifted directly from everyday usage, it's a perfect, clear, relatable term. Traffic is redirected, people are redirected - and a user is redirected if they mis-type an address. If I am giving directions to a typical person over the phone, and say "Oh, hang on, I forgot that Foo Highway is closed for repairs, I'm going to redirect you via Bar Boulevard.", they do not flap their mouths gormlessly like the lobotomised moron you describe.

The name is as clear as it could possibly be. Anybody capable of diagnosing the problem and determining to fix it should be able to dissect the name very easily. It is not obfuscated in any fashion.

Same as Microsoft?

[scuba0]

Internet Explorer has always redirected you to Microsofts homepage in some way, why shouldn't Dell/Google be allowed to do the same?

Re:Instructions to Remove

[Anonymous Coward]

i with you on the rest of the post, but as a good little Slashdotter you should know that the friend buys the beer.

Computers are the new automotives. I used to work with my dad on cars when I was younger and we used to drink beer while replacing someone's break pads/cylinders, changing their oil or rotating their tires. Sometimes we'd get daring and tighten someone's serpentine belt pulley.

Haggling over who buys the beer when it's a prime excuse for some guys to just sit around and shoot the shit isn't worth it. I'll buy the beer and I'll make sure it's something you've never had ... like a variant of Leinenkugal's or a nice Belgium White Wheat brew, you know something exotic. These days, a case of beer is a trivial amount of money for me but not for all my friends.

Computers are the new excuse to sit around and "bond" as corny as that sounds--like fishing or camping. Enjoy the excuse to stop and upgrade someone's ram, it'll make you feel useful. I'll bring the beer since I'm the one getting something out of the deal. If you haven't seen a friend in years, call them up and talk to them. If you want to hang out, ask them if their computer's running alright and offer to come over and help them out with the problems, everybody has them.

America has become too centered on who pays for what, I say relax and enjoy life before you die.

OT eldavojohn

Re:Hi, I wrote that post...

[forand]

Okay so you have showed that some people dislike the results that google provides to is BRANDED websites. First off how much of that is Google and how much is the BRAND? Second what you describe IS NOT SPYWARE!! Where did that claim come from?

Re:Claim is complete FUD

[davidu]

Wrong.

It's highly unusual for a piece of software to not mention who put it there. Look at your other Google software you have installed. Do you have "Desktop" installed or do you have "Google Desktop?" Does it say "Toolbar" or does it say "Google Toolbar?"

Oh wait, I know what kind of software hides things like that... software that is trying to be opaque and hidden.

-davidu

Re:Hi, I wrote that post...

[1000Monkeys]

Thanks for responding to this, but claiming that your monetized URL typo page is better than Google's hardly justifies your claims of spyware or lock-in. Every discussion of this article has been filled with stories of people who have removed the browser redirection. Let's face it, the sort of people that aren't afraid to use custom DNS servers usually also aren't afraid to remove programs from their computer. In fact, it seems like you used a lot of inflammatory language to mask what boils down to a simple advertisement.

And lost in all this is the fact that you seem to be redirecting google.com to your own servers. I really liked OpenDNS when it was just a DNS server, please trust your users to be able to follow instructions and stop intercepting their google queries.

Re:Hi, I wrote that post...

[metamatic]

Well, yours gives me a totally blank page, because I have JavaScript turned off by default. So it's not clear to me that yours is a big improvement...