Why underage porn is bad PR part 2...

UPDATE: It has been brought to my attention that there was a typographic error in this post. The email from 180 Solutions actually stated

Fortunately, this is the first time in our six years of existence, to my knowledge, that we have been distributed with this kind of illegal content.

180 Solutions were NOT distributing illegal content - their software was being distributed on an illegal website. I'm sure you can appreciate there is a huge difference, and within the context of the post it is clear that we are talking about software being distributed on an UA porn site. Apologies to 180 Solutions for any distress this has caused.

I was one of the individuals who recieved the following email from 180 Solutions, regarding the install of 180 Search Assistant from a child pornography site earlier this week:

As you know, an independent researcher discovered earlier this week an instance where a purveyor of child pornography was illegally distributing our 180 Search Assistant. It goes without saying that child pornography is illegal and morally reprehensible. We deplore it. Fortunately, this is the first time in our six years of existence, to my knowledge, that we have been distributed with this kind of illegal content. Distributing our products with such illegal content is specifically against our code of conduct and as such, we will continue to do everything we can to prevent our products from being distributed with it.

Well, it's possibly the first time. There was this little number a while back, but as Marketing Metrix Group have yet to return, it's doubtful we'll ever know the full story behind their crazy BitTorrent installers of doom. To see more of the email, check out Wayne Porter's weblog.

It is good to see 180 Solutions taking the people behind it to the cleaners (given the content of the site, nothing short of leg-breaking action would suffice, really) although it is probably fair to say that this is where we are headed, long term, if the affiliate model isn't ditched by something that actually works. It doesn't surprise me in the slightest that this has happened - in fact, I imagine there's actually reams of UA porn sites that install software without consent. The difference is, the infected user isn't going to turn up on a security forum asking for help. And let's see who else was included in the bundle:

- DirectRevenue/ABI/Aurora
- SurfSidekick
- BullsEye Network
- ShopAtHomeSelect

Is it just me, or are we still waiting on a few more emails?