3 million dollars later, Zango still doesn't get it.
 

I did a test yesterday... follow along with me if you please.

Go to the front page of Zango: http://www.zango.com

Click on PLAY on any of the videos. This will pop up the new screen with the disclosure.

Now, notice two very important things: the "PLAY" button (which is actually "I agree to these terms and want to download your scumware") is located at the top of the screen...

AND THE CONFIRMATION TICK BOX IS PRE-TICKED AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE.

We all know what dumb surfers do... click play again to see the damn video! They don't read down the page, and they certainly won't take the time to tick the box... they don't have to! The default setting for Zango is "accepting" and the layout is made to specifically default to acceptance.

Hello FTC! Zango is still screwing people!

Yeah they get it im sure. Do they care? Not likely.

Whoever is stupid enough to launch Setup.exe when trying to view a video deserves to have his PC overtaken by ads.

:2 cents:

darkjedi, a huge percentage of end users have no clue. They are use to getting prompted to download updates, new versions, and so on... they don't know setup from jackshit.

Don't think like someone with a clue. Think like a surfer!

fuck zango them bastards.

A few years ago, it was all about dialers. Today, its all about Zango.

There is always someone out there looking for a quick buck and giving everybody else a bad name.

Now there are 2 ways to react to the problem:

a) Do something

b) Sit back, post about the problem and hope somebody else chooses option a)

Does anyone know the principle people behind the company? The way everyone keeps saying "Zango" it's like it's a person, not a piece of software. :2 cents:

I just found Zango on my roommates computer.

sad... so very sad.

dialers didn't last very long though, maybe 3-5 months max with US traffic.

Actually, I am working on a letter to the FTC on this exact issue, to get there before the December deadline for comments on their settlement. IMHO, Zango continues right now today to mislead customers and fails to get a positive confirmation from end users to install their software. The example I gave at the top shows that the default to "accept" and their acceptance button isn't accept, but rather play. It is a specific attempt to mislead the public and to get installs from consumers who are either not tech savvy or who are not fully paying attention. The play button and the terms have no visual relationship, and with the pre-ticked box, people can easily make the mistake without intending to download the software.

The page would be acceptable, in my mind, if the "accept" tick box was NOT checked to start with, and if the play button was replaced with "Install toolbar software, and then play video". The current setup has everything stacked in Zangos favor, beyond normal levels.

These are also the same people that would probably sign up to a paysite because they are too stupid to realize that they can get all the porn they want for free.

got zango ?