Spitzer Goes After Spyware

USA TODAY -- Apr 29 -- New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer filed a lawsuit Thursday against Intermix Media (myspace), charging the online marketer with illegally disseminating spyware programs.  Intermix operates about 40 Web sites that supply online games, greeting cards, social networking, trivia and jokes. According to Webroot, maker of anti-spyware software, there are more than 220,000 sites distributing spyware, up from 60,000 at the start of the year.  According to the lawsuit, free software on Intermix Web sites secretly installed programs that generated advertisements. One known as KeenValue delivered pop-up ads; another, dubbed IncrediFind, redirected visitors to certain Web sites. Spitzer is seeking a court order restricting Intermix's business practices.

Mark Brooks: Did Intermix do this knowingly.  Was the code slipped in with a banner ad run and overlooked?