Google has published a list of proposed best practices to “help fight deceptive Internet software.” All well and good; internet applications are recommended to only be installed with the end-user’s permission (ie, no sneakware), they should be upfront about their purpose and about any changes they make, they should be easy to remove, they should be upfront about what data they gather (ie, no spyware), and finally, they should “keep good company” by not being bundled with products that do not adhere to these guidelines.
Ahem. Various press releases last month proclaimed that the Google Toolbar is being bundled with RealPlayer, which I duly noted with distaste.
Real has a history of creating software that doesn’t have much respect for the people who use it, and I direct you again to Jogin’s evidence that this is still the case.
A quick news search doesn’t turn up anything about this relationship between Google and Real having been dissolved, so I suppose Google’s idea of what constitutes “good company” differs quite substantially from mine.
I’ve mentioned my mutual distaste for Real, but I love that google toolbar…