Parasite-ware

[Bubo]

I'm fixing to head out for the weekend, so I don't even have time to do a Google search on this.

I've been hearing a lot of concern regarding parasite-ware stealing affiliate link income. I'd like any information that people have on this phenomenom. What (publicly available) protections have you encountered, has anyone actually found utilities that perform this function, and is there any information on the actual method that these utilities use to replace affiliate IDs.

The only method that I can think of off the top of my head is software on the visitor's computer that dynamically replaces affiliate ID's with the thieves. However, I have not spent much time thinking about this and would like input from everyone regarding this.

[eyelfixit]

any toolbar and or browser utility (IE: gator and other garbage) can potentialy change affiliate I.D's to someone elses I.D, thus circumventing the payment process of paying the right person.

There are other ways from what I understand but it's hard to pinpoint what exactly. From what happened to me is that I have over 3000 expossures and not one click through. That is hard to believe and nobody that I have spoken with has a clue why this is happening.

[eyelfixit]

F.Y.I.:

Research key words:

affiliate highjacking, link highjacking, parasiteware, affiliite theft, jackware, link jacking, link theft, affialite fraud, anti-link masking. link leeching

[eyelfixit]

a quote from a signature of one of the users of the forum I pointed out in the notice thread (may shed a little light on parasiteware):

Child labor laws exist yet, parasite partnering merchants (PP Merchants) and the COC allow an adult affiliates income to be diverted into the pockets of parasites and consider it normal business!

Why give parasites unlimited cookie durations and credit for sales where they divert our users and overwrite our cookies. PP merchants and the COC directly supports what many consider unfair trade practices, identity theft and thievery!