The Wall Street Journal (paid sub. reg.) examines the latest fine levied against an adware firm.
A company that caused Internet pop-up ads to appear on consumers’ computers has agreed to pay $1.5 million to settle charges brought by the Federal Trade Commission, the agency said Friday.
The FTC charged that Direct Revenue LLC, based in New York City, and its four principals illegally downloaded advertising software, or adware, onto consumers’ computers and made it difficult to locate and remove.
Ari Schwartz, deputy director of the Center for Democracy and Technology, a nonprofit privacy group, said that Direct Revenue made tens of millions in sales in 2004 and 2005. As a result, the $1.5 million “is not a lot of money in this case,” he said.