FTC accuses Odysseus Marketing of using spyware

• The Federal Trade Commission said Wednesday it was suing a firm for allegedly using the promise of free music downloads to sneak spyware onto unsuspecting victims' computers.
• The agency said that New Hampshire-based Odysseus Marketing tricked consumers into downloading software that then hijacked search results from popular search engines and replaced them with sponsored links.
• The software was particularly troublesome because it could not be uninstalled "through reasonable means," the FTC said.
• Instead, he said his software was adware, which displays pop-up ads and additional search results.
• "I have not done anything wrong nor broken any of the laws they are claiming," he said.
• He also said the lawsuit was "moot," because the firm's adware operations ended several weeks ago.
• The FTC announced the lawsuit Wednesday morning, a few hours before the agency's chairman was to testify before a Senate panel on spyware issues.
• The suit was actually filed with the U.S. District Court in New Hampshire on Sept. 21.
• Odysseus advertised its Kazanon software as enabling users to swap music files without drawing the attention of record industry lawyers who have been cracking down on alleged illegal downloads.
• "Download without fear," the ads said, according to the FTC complaint.
• "Kazanon silently modifies your PC's Internet settings to make you invisible, untraceable, and totally anonymous.
• NO MORE FEAR of a lawsuit or prosecution just for downloading your favorite music!"
• However, consumers who downloaded Odysseus' music-swapping software, "Kazanon," also installed a program called "Clientman" which served up advertising links, the FTC said.
• "The consequences of downloading Kazanon are disclosed only in the End User License Agreement ("EULA"), in the middle of the two-page document," it said.
• "The home page of the Kazanon Web site contains no information about the consequences."