My Router Is Spamming Me

from the not-smart... dept

Sometimes, when I've used various free WiFi offerings, when you first open a browser it pops up a sponsored page - either from the company directly providing the WiFi or from someone they've sold advertising to. I don't think that's such a big deal. However, if it happened on my home or work router, I'm not sure I'd be as enthusiastic. The Register is reporting that one of Belkin's new wireless routers randomly grabs a web connection and points you to an advertisement for their parental controls every eight hours. This seems to be going a bit overboard. The company seems to view it more like typical nagboxes in software applications like the annoying "tips" box that appears when you open some programs. There are some major differences, of course, including the fact that most router users don't really need to know specifically about the router their using or that it has "parental controls".
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  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 7 Nov 2003 @ 10:26am

    is it cheaper

    I might find a spam router permissable if it was half the price or less of a comparable device.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 7 Nov 2003 @ 11:33am

    No Subject Given

    If this happend to me, it would go back to the retail/distributor/manufacturer. Instantly. And, I would strenously avoid buying ANY product from that manufacturer for years to come.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      nil-ram, 7 Nov 2003 @ 3:21pm

      No Subject Given

      Gee, there's one company from which I won't be buying a router.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Do these companies also collect surfing habits, et, 7 Nov 2003 @ 11:43am

    No Subject Given

    I wonder what stops Belkins or Linksys or Dlink for phoning home and reporting on all your surfing habits, etc. Kind of like how cable providers collect information on which programs you watch, etc.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 7 Nov 2003 @ 1:19pm

    No Subject Given

    So this is why there's always so much cheap refurb stuff at Belkin - it's all from people sending it back in disgust!

    This is totally unforgivable, especially if it doesn't say it clearly on the box.

    link to this | view in chronology ]


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