Are Affiliates Stealing From The Cookie Jar?

SYDNEY MORNING HERALD -- Dec 13 -- Internet publishers, affiliate networks and e-commerce sites are caught up in the deceptive activity, called "cookie hijacking". Zango struck a $3 million settlement with the US Federal Trade Commission for installing its Trojan ad software on computers 70 million times. Once the Trojan software, called adware, is active on a computer it "contextually" tracks the content a user is viewing and serves "pop-up" advertising which overrides any other content. Adware also allows online operators to manipulate the cookies of others with their own and then claim the commissions. Commission Monster has been criticized for harboring affiliates which have been manipulating cookie trails. Similar claims in the US led to a class action against the US affiliate network, ValueClick. FULL ARTICLE @ ADOTAS