StopBadware.org and the CDT File Formal Complaint with the FTC

StopBadware.org, the consumer protection initiative developed to combat badware, along with the Center for Democracy & Technology, today announced they have filed a formal complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) against FastMP3Search.com.ar for distributing badware to unsuspecting Internet users through its web-based software download. The complaint seeks immediate action against the website's owners and operators to prevent a wide range of harm to Internet users caused by the software plug-in distributed on FastMP3Search.com.ar.

The complaint was prepared with the assistance of the Berkman Center's Clinical Program in Cyberlaw and clinical student Lina Somait.

To coincide with the FTC complaint, StopBadware.org today released its report on FastMP3Search.com.ar Plugin, naming the site to its “Badware List.”

"In the past year, we've come across dozens of malicious programs available on hundreds of web sites, and without question, the FastMP3Search.com.ar Plugin tops our list of the worst actors," said John Palfrey, co-director of StopBadware.org and executive director of the Berkman Center. "The reason why we are issuing such a critical report on the FastMP3Search.com.ar Plugin and filing this complaint with the FTC is because they've combined so many bad things in a single bundle. It's a parade of horribles."

A copy of the full FTC report can be found here.

The StopBadware.org FastMP3Search.com.ar Plugin report is available at the StopBadware site.

Professor Palfrey has written more about the complaint at his blog, and StopBadware Project Manager Christina Olson gives some perspective at the well at the StopBadware blog.

The full press release for the complaint can be found at our newsroom.