Dude, You've Got Spyware!But Dell won't do a thing about it...
(
old news - 11:56AM Friday Nov 28 2003)
tags: security · privacyUsers in our
Security forum discuss Dell's decision to no longer support the removal of spyware. Fear of liability seems to be the major motivating factor. According to
this blog entry (scroll down to Dude, you're getting the runaround), users who call Dell with problems caused by spy or adware, will now be told there's nothing Dell can do; they'll need to call their ISP for support. Unfortunately your ISP will likely direct you to your OS manufacturer, who'll then tell you to call your system vendor - Dell. Since it's not very much trouble to tell users to download
Adaware and
Spybot Search and Destroy, it's obviously Dell's way of protecting themselves from the wrath of software vendors who include spyware and a complicated EULA. According to the support tech, Dell tech can't mention spyware, mention removal products, or tell users how to resolve common spyware problems like hijacked home-pages.