Your Desktop is Direcway's Billboard

How far do you trust your Internet Service Provider (ISP)? Would you trust them enough to run software that allowed them to access your PC remotely any time they pleased? Would you trust them enough to allow them to download software to your computer and install it? Would you trust your ISP to tell you before doing these things?

On August 19, many customers of Direcway were shocked to find that Direcway's internet connection software allowed the internet provider to install software on their PCs without their permission, or even without their knowledge.

It began with many customers seeing a strange download box that flashed on their screen for a few seconds. One person managed to capture a screenshot. The file being downloaded was finstall.exe, a compressed archive containing graphics and several HTML files. After this file was downloaded, Direcway's software executed it and extracted the contents to C:\Program Files\DIRECWAY\BIN\.

It was at this point that Direcway users received a large and unpleasant shock. Direcway's software opened a full page advertisement on the desktops of their users. Customers were at first shocked and puzzled at seeing their default web browsers opening a web page located on their own computers. Not every customer received the same messages, and some didn't receive any message at all, and that just added to the confusion. Once it became clear that the page was an advertisement, puzzlement gave way to outrage.

Angry messages were posted to message boards and angry telephone calls were made to Direcway. Threats were made to send invoices to Direcway, billing them for the unauthorized display of advertisements on private property. The next day, at roughly the same time of day, Direcway displayed another full page advertisement, this time warning about the MSblaster worm.

The level of outrage directed at Direcway rose even higher. As the tempers burned hotter, calls were made for someone to find Direcway's Terms of Use policy. After reading through the contract that all customers sign as part of their service, that outrage turned into stunned disbelief. Two clauses were found that allows Direcway to do exactly what they had done.

2.2 MODIFICATION OF THE SERVICE.

In particular, we specifically reserve the right at our sole discretion to modify, supplement, delete, discontinue, or remove any software, file, publications, information, communication, or other content appearing on or transmitted through the Service. We have the right to upgrade, modify, or enhance any software used in connection with the Service from time to time through satellite downloads or other means in our sole discretion without notice.

10. USE AND CONTROL OF INFORMATION; MEMBER COMMUNICATION; ADS

You also acknowledge that advertising and promotion may occur on the Service

There you have it. Call it what you will (and some people called it many things, most of which can't be printed here), Direcway's contract allows them to use the private property of their customers as their own private billboard to display advertisements. The contract also allows Direcway to reach out and install any arbitrary piece of software they please, without asking the permission of the owner.

The very idea of a premium broadband ISP using their customer's private property to display advertisements sounds ridiculous. Considering that Direcway charges a minimum of $59.99 (USD) per month, you would think they wouldn't need to stoop to turning their broadband software into adware.

An ISP using remote access software to download and execute files remotely sounds like a paranoid delusion. The very idea of an ISP doing this sounds crazy. Prior to last week, someone making such a claim would have been dismissed as an imbecile and nominated for the tin foil beanie award.

As a matter of fact, there are at least three other providers that also use remote access software. Those ISPs are Comcast, Cox, and the now defunct @Home cable internet providers. However, none of these providers use the software to display advertisements as Direcway does. These other providers use the software as intended, to allow tech support to troubleshoot and repair connection problems. You can also uninstall their software and your internet connection will keep working. If you remove Direcway's software, your $500 modems stop working.

Direcway has been running remote access software on their customers' machines for who knows how long, and they have never disclosed it. Direcway has used that software to display advertisements on the private property of people already paying at least $60 per month for their service.

The first full page ad pitched their new webmail service. The second was a virus alert message. What will be next? Will Direcway start displaying "relevant offers" on behalf of their "trusted partners?"

What's to stop Direcway from selling ads from other companies and popping them up on their customers' desktops? Obviously, ethics would not be a factor. If there were any ethics to be found at Direcway, they would never have included remote access features in their software in the first place. The thought of using their customers' property to run full page ads would never have occurred to a company with any ethics.

This article began with the question "how far do you trust your ISP?". Many of Direcway's customers have lost all trust in them. Can you blame them? Would you trust an ISP that did Direcway has done?

I certainly don't trust Direcway anymore. You see, Direcway is my ISP. Direcway accessed my private property without my permission to display full page advertisements. I don't like this at all, and I am thoroughly disgusted at the complete lack of ethics and the contempt shown to myself and to other customers of Direcway.

I have a service contract with Direcway that ends in December. When that contract is over, it will not be renewed. If Direcway cannot respect my private property and display any sign of ethical behavior, I will spend my money elsewhere. If that means I have to suffer dial up internet again after a year of having broadband, so be it.

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Links:

http://www.spywareinfoforum.info/articles/direcway/FinStall.JPG :: finstall.exe downloading
http://www.spywareinfoforum.info/articles/direcway/dwayspam.png :: Direcway ad for webmail service
http://www.spywareinfoforum.info/articles/direcway/dwayspam2.png :: Direcway virus alert
http://www.paladin-press.com/detail.aspx?ID=28 :: Tin foil beanies