🚀 go-pugleaf

9bit <%0d%0a@telcel.net.ve> wrote:

> > The GoHip thing has a lot to do with people not reading
> > "read this before clicking the button that signifies
> > your unconditional acceptance of these terms and
> > conditions" screens when installing software.
> 
> I hope the following sounds familiar to you:
> 
> "The doc you are opening contains macros or customizations. Some
> macros may contain virii that could harm your comp"
> Followed by "..... If you are not sure and want to disable macros
> click disable macros..."
> 
> VERY different from not reading the terms and conds. right ??

Two things...

First, by the time Melissa hit, a high proportion of
its victims had that config option disabled because
of previous virus infections, so many Melissa victims
did not see that warning.

Second, that is a generic warning from your Word
processor, not a specific, pre-installation contract
between you and a service provider.  Although the
programmatic outcome can be the same, the liability
issues are somewhat different.

GoHip's installer does what it says it will, *after*
the user assents to having agreed to its terms.  The
generic MS Word warning tells you nothing about what
will happen and with Melissa the documents in question
mostly came from people the victims knew, and at one
level had a trust relationship with (although, in
reality that trust was usually misplaced by extension
to arenas it should not).

> Additionaly it replaces your sig ...

...*after* you assert that you accept it doing so.

> ...  so (unless you remove it) every
> mail you send will say something like "click here for free plane
> tickets..." It does not attach the installer but hey, if you click
> on the link you will get to it on the web page. I am sure David S.

In which case, you clearly have your web broswer set
up rather insecurely.

> would complain that Gohip doesn't go to jail for this.

No -- what D L Smith did was wrong *and* illegal.
What GoHip is doing is "only" wrong and moderately
deceitful -- that is, typical business practice.  The
US does not have much of a record of trying to prevent
the latter...


-- 
Nick FitzGerald