[OT] Dubious offers - Or funnies about spyware...

[Malte Brill]

Hi list,

after I had a good laugh I´d love to share this with you. Please excuse that
I´m wasting bandwidth...

I received a strange mail I´ll quote below. I´ve deleted the company and the
product name and replaced it with [deletia]

quote:

> Dear Business Development Manager:
> 
> I am writing to introduce [deletia] and gauge
> your interest in developing a software distribution relationship.
> 
> [deletia] is a global Internet audience measurement provider and consultancy
> to
> which leading companies turn for the insight they need to craft successful
> marketing, sales and trading strategies online. Our best-known product is
> [deletia], a leader in estimating website audience sizes for 8 years.
> 
> [deletia] counts over 400 of the world's leading marketers as clients
> including
> AOL, eBay, Ford Motor Company, Microsoft, Pepsi and Verizon. The Associated
> Press, Reuters, CNN, CNBC, New York Times and Wall Street frequently interview
> our analysts, and feature excerpts of [deletia] reports online and in their
> publications. To review a few of the hundreds of articles we're quoted in
> monthly, please visit:
> [deletia]
> 
> [deletia] report data is obtained through surveys and by monitoring
> consumer's online behavior. Each OpinionSquare panelist installs a small
> program "EXE" on their computer enabling [deletia] to periodically invite
> users
> to participate in surveys and report their Internet surfing behavior. In
> return for participating in surveys, [deletia] provides computer users
> benefits, including cash, points towards (gift certificates, to movies, to
> electronics, to small home appliances) and high-value sweepstakes (cars,
> computers, etc). 
> 
> It is important to note that our small EXE (315KB) is not detectable through
> any adware/spyware software and all of our procedures for protecting the
> privacy of our panelists have been audited and certified by Ernst & Young.
> 
> Currently, [deletia] is actively recruiting partners to expand its'
> OpinionSquare panel size and EXE distribution. The main method we are using
> for distribution of the EXE is through bundling. Thus, we would like to
> discuss the possibility of bundling our EXE with your software offering.
> [deletia] is paying several of its' bundling partners commissions over $10,000
> per week.
> 
> Please contact us at your earliest convenience to express an interest in
> bundling [deletia] EXE and discuss this business proposal further.


Here´s what I replied:

>Hello,

>just curious. What´s this? Do you really ask us to bundle Spyware with our
>Software? Or will users get informed that your .exe will be installed on
>their computers and can decide whether they want to install it or not? Your
>offer sounds a bit dubious to me.

>With kind regards,

And the reply I got today...

>Malte:

>After further review, I don't believe that bundling our software offerings
>together will be an effective business venture.  Thank you for your response.

I can´t stop laughing...

This is the most embarrassing part of the mail for me...

> It is important to note that our small EXE (315KB) is not detectable through
> any adware/spyware software and all of our procedures for protecting the
> privacy of our panelists have been audited and certified by Ernst & Young.
> 

I just can´t believe it.

Now I go knocking my head on my desk for a while...

Best,

Malte