BonziBuddy explained

Developer:Bonzi Software, Inc.
Released:1999
Latest Release Version:4.1
Operating System:Microsoft Windows
License:Freeware
Discontinued:yes
Genre:Virtual Assistant, Adware, Spyware, Malware

BonziBuddy (or, stylized as BonziBUDDY) was a freeware desktop virtual assistant created by Joe and Jay Bonzi. Upon a user's choice, it would share jokes and facts, manage downloads, sing songs, and talk, among other functions, as it used Microsoft Agent.

BonziBuddy was described as spyware[1] and adware,[2] and discontinued in 2004 after the company behind it faced lawsuits regarding the software and was ordered to pay fines.[3] Bonzi's website remained open after the discontinuation of BonziBuddy, but was shut down at the end of 2008.

Design

The software used Microsoft Agent technology similar to Office Assistant,[4] and originally sported Peedy, a green parrot and one of the characters available with Microsoft Agent. Later versions of BonziBuddy in May 2000 featured its own character: Bonzi, a purple gorilla.[5] The program also used a text-to-speech voice to interact with the user. The voice was called Sydney and taken from an old Lernout & Hauspie Microsoft Speech API 4.0 package. It is often referred to in some software as Adult Male #2.

A number of sources identify BonziBuddy as spyware, a claim the company disputed.[6] In 2002, an article in Consumer Reports Web Watch labeled BonziBuddy as spyware, stating that it contains a backdoor trojan that collects information from users. The activities the program is said to engage in include constantly resetting the user's web browser homepage to bonzi.com without the user's permission, prompting and tracking various information about the user, installing a toolbar, and serving advertisements.[7]

Trend Micro and Symantec have both classified the software as adware.[8] [9] [10] Spyware Guides entry on the program also states that it is adware.[11]

Reception

In April 2007, PC World readers voted BonziBuddy the sixth on a list named "The 20 Most Annoying Tech Products". One reader was quoted as criticizing the program because it "kept popping up and obscuring things you needed to see".[12]

One of the last newspaper articles written about BonziBuddy while it was still in distribution described it as spyware and a "scourge of the Internet".[13] Another article found in 2006 on the BusinessWeek website described BonziBuddy as "the unbelievably annoying spyware trojan horse".[14]

Lawsuits

Internetnews.com reported the settlement of a class action suit on 27 May 2003. Originally brought against Bonzi Software on 4 December 2002, the suit accused Bonzi of using its banner advertisements to deceptively imitate Windows computer alerts, alerting the user that their IP address is being broadcast. In the settlement, Bonzi Software agreed to modify their ads so that they looked less like Windows dialog boxes and more like actual advertisements.[15] [16]

On February 18, 2004, the Federal Trade Commission released a statement indicating that Bonzi Software, Inc. was ordered to pay US$75,000 in fees, among other aspects, for violating the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act by collecting personal information from children under the age of 13 with BonziBuddy.[17]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Geschwind. Bill. 11 August 2004. AppNote: Automating the installation and execution of Spybot Search & Destroy with ZENworks. 14 July 2007. Novell Cool Solutions. Novell. 25 December 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181225221425/http://www.novell.com/coolsolutions/appnote/3590.html. dead.
  2. Web site: BonziBuddy. 2019-02-26. www.spywareguide.com.
  3. Web site: Ravenscraft. Eric. 18 August 2017. A Brief History of BonziBuddy, the Internet's Most Friendly Malware. 23 December 2017. How-To Geek.
  4. Web site: "Bonzi Buddy" Creator Settles Suit . Hachman . Mark . 28 May 2003 . . . 7 September 2006 . 1 April 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190401163117/https://www.extremetech.com/extreme/54282-bonzi-buddy-creator-settles-suit . dead .
  5. Web site: Counter Spy's entry on BonziBuddy . https://web.archive.org/web/20110716163243/http://www.sunbeltsecurity.com/ThreatDisplay.aspx?tid=3271&cs=DDC5975EB3DF633062FB55CC2DB78140 . 16 July 2011 . dead . 7 September 2006.
  6. Web site: BonziBuddy . 16 July 2013 . Spyware Loop . https://web.archive.org/web/20140428054141/http://www.spywareloop.com/news/bonzibuddy . 28 April 2014 . dead . 27 July 2013.
  7. Web site: Five Major Categories of Spyware . Barrett . Robertson . 21 November 2002 . . Consumers Union of U.S. . https://web.archive.org/web/20060109153357/http://www.consumerwebwatch.org/dynamic/privacy-investigations-categories-spy.cfm . 9 January 2006 . dead . 7 September 2006.
  8. Web site: ADW_BONJING.A . 8 July 2004 . trendmicro.com . . https://web.archive.org/web/20070930181430/http://www.trendmicro.com/vinfo/grayware/printerfriendly.asp?GNAME=ADW_BONJING.A . 30 September 2007.
  9. Web site: ADW_BONZIBUDDY.C . 8 June 2004 . Threat Encyclopedia . . 14 July 2007 . 22 February 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160222080400/http://www.trendmicro.com/vinfo/us/threat-encyclopedia/archive/malware/adw_bonzibuddy.c . dead .
  10. Web site: Adware.Bonzi . https://web.archive.org/web/20110607151607/http://www.symantec.com/security_response/writeup.jsp?docid=2003-080114-0710-99&tabid=2 . dead . 7 June 2011 . 13 February 2007 . . . 5 April 2009.
  11. Web site: BonziBuddy . Spyware Guide . Actiance . 12 September 2017.
  12. Web site: The 20 most annoying tech products - PC World Australia. 2022-01-26. www.pcworld.idg.com.au. 26 January 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220126211206/https://www.pcworld.idg.com.au/article/189357/20_most_annoying_tech_products/?pp=2. dead.
  13. News: Prying Eyes Lurk Inside Your PC; Spyware Spawns Efforts at Control. . Kladko . Brian . 21 March 2004 . 16 November 2007 . The Gale Group, Inc..
  14. Web site: Breaking: MySpace Backlash Sighted In Mainstream Media! . . . https://web.archive.org/web/20110603232334/http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/FineOnMedia/archives/2006/09/breaking_myspace_backlash_sighted_in_mainstream_media.html?campaign_id=rss_blog_fineonmedia . 3 June 2011 . dead . 16 November 2007.
  15. Web site: Bonzi Settles Deceptive Ad Suit . Morrissey . Brian . 27 May 2003 . internetnews.com . . https://web.archive.org/web/20030606143945/http://internetnews.com/IAR/article.php/2212851 . 6 June 2003 . live . 12 September 2017.
  16. Web site: Bonzi Hit With Deceptive-Ad Complaint . Morrissey . Brian . 4 December 2002 . internetnews.com . . https://web.archive.org/web/20030618110224/http://www.internetnews.com/IAR/article.php/1551941 . 18 June 2003 . live . 12 September 2017.
  17. Web site: UMG Recordings, Inc. to Pay $400,000, Bonzi Software, Inc. To Pay $75,000 to Settle COPPA Civil Penalty Charges . Schwartzman . Jen . 18 February 2004 . ftc.gov . . 12 September 2017.

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