Suspected false negative, privacy concern?

[MrGump]

the well known social media site tinychat.com offers an app for windows. After installing the app ask.com was installed and my home pages for all browsers on my system were changed to ask.com. Non of this required my imput. I consider this a virus, do you?

https://tinychat.com/download

I use Avira, Malwarebytes (real time) and Webroot. None of them even so much as grumbled while all of this took place. I have written a letter to the company but have not yet received a reply. I thought this cheap type of stuff wasn't going on anymore


any suggestions?

[SirDrexl]

Are you sure there wasn't an option for a custom installation? Sometimes it isn't obvious where the opt-out box is located.

[MrGump]

Originally Posted by SirDrexl

Are you sure there wasn't an option for a custom installation? Sometimes it isn't obvious where the opt-out box is located.

pretty darn sure. Can you test install it?

[SirDrexl]

Well, I tried to install it on my netbook, and it didn't finish due to an error. I don't know what that could be, but I didn't see any choice for a custom install. I did skim through the terms of use and saw something at the end about how to remove the toolbar.

[MrGump]

Originally Posted by SirDrexl

Well, I tried to install it on my netbook, and it didn't finish due to an error. I don't know what that could be, but I didn't see any choice for a custom install. I did skim through the terms of use and saw something at the end about how to remove the toolbar.

ty for trying. Gosh, what a pain in the patootie

[Chiron]

I just installed it (Windows 7 x64) and found that it changed my homepage for IE to Ask as well. There were no options given in the installer at all.

I'll be reporting it to all vendors who allow reporting through email by using my article, but I doubt that many will add it. I guess we'll have to see how many will.

[MrGump]

Originally Posted by Chiron

I just installed it (Windows 7 x64) and found that it changed my homepage for IE to Ask as well. There were no options given in the installer at all.

I'll be reporting it to all vendors who allow reporting through email by using my article, but I doubt that many will add it. I guess we'll have to see how many will.

great!

[Niels]

You can prevent the installation of the Ask toolbar and the change of your homepage. You only need to untick two checkboxes during installation: Install TinyChat Ask toolbar and untick set Ask.com as my home page. What you need to do is not to click next without reading everything. Sometimes you need to use the custom/advanced installation, the other time you need to uncheck boxes or check a bock to not install a toolbar.

[SirDrexl]

Originally Posted by Niels

You can prevent the installation of the Ask toolbar and the change of your homepage. You only need to untick two checkboxes during installation: Install TinyChat Ask toolbar and untick set Ask.com as my home page. What you need to do is not to click next without reading everything. Sometimes you need to use the custom/advanced installation, the other time you need to uncheck boxes or check a bock to not install a toolbar.

Usually that's true, but did you read the rest of the thread? In this case, there is no custom install option and there are no boxes to uncheck. If there had been, I don't think this thread would exist.

[Niels]

Originally Posted by SirDrexl

Usually that's true, but did you read the rest of the thread? In this case, there is no custom install option and there are no boxes to uncheck. If there had been, I don't think this thread would exist.

I have tested it, both of the checkboxes are included. What I downloaded was the TinyChat installation. As a matter of proof I made a screenshot.

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images...ttinychat.jpg/

[SirDrexl]

Okay, I've downloaded it again and they've indeed changed it to add those options. Thanks.

[MrGump]

suhweet