Nov. 6 — The Federal Trade Commission on Thursday took aim at annoying pop-up advertising, accusing a California advertising company of digital-age extortion. D Squared Solutions allegedly hijacked Internet users’ computers by bombarding them with Windows Messenger pop-up ads — as frequently as every 10 minutes. The ads hawked $30 software that promised only to stop future pop-ups from the company.
“POP-UP ADVERTISING is a fact of life,” said Howard Beales, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “But one company has taken pop-ups beyond annoyance.” In announcing action against San Diego-based D Squared, the agency also urged consumers to disable a feature of Windows — the one exploited by D Squared — which makes them more vulnerable to the annoying advertisements.
To consumers, Windows Messenger Service works just like the familiar Instant Messenger software, though it...