Dutch firms fined for illegally distributing spyware

BRUSSELS, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Dutch telecommunications watchdog OPTA has fined three companies and their two directors a total of one million euros (about 1.44 million U.S. dollars) for the illegal distribution of "adware" and "spyware," local newspaper Financiele Dagblad reported Wednesday.

This is the first time fines have been imposed for the distribution of "adware" in Europe, OPTA was quoted as saying in a statement on Tuesday.

"Adware" (advertising-supported software) is any software program which is silently installed on a computer and causes a torrent of "pop-up" advertisements ranging from recommendations for pornography and ring tones to adverts for companies.

Like adware, "spyware" is also secretly installed on a computer and keeps track of the infected computer's surfing and other activities without the user's knowledge.

The two directors, who worked under the name of Dollar Revenue, had installed the software in such a way that it was practically impossible to remove.

Dollar Revenue was paid 15 U.S. dollar cents per installment in the European countries, and 25 U.S. dollar cents per installment in the United States.

OPTA estimates that they earned more than one million euros (about 1.44 million U.S. dollars) through their dealings.

They worked for Dollar Revenue between October 2005 and November 2006. In 2006 they succeeded in infecting about 22 million computers, between 20,000 and 40,000 of which were in the Netherlands.

They have used a number of methods to spread the malicious software, for instance, duping people into visiting a certain website or downloading a film of a tennis star. But once the mouse button was clicked, the adware or spyware would be downloaded, causing an immediate flood of adverts.