BonziBUDDY

Infobox Software
name=BonziBUDDY


caption=BonziBUDDY promotional logo previously at BONZI.com
developer=BONZI Software
operating_system=Microsoft Windows
license=Custom EULA
genre=Software agent
website=http://www.bonzi.com/

BonziBUDDY, sometimes spelled Bonzi Buddy, BonziBuddy, or BONZIBuddy, (misspelled Bonzai Buddy) was an on-screen "intelligent software agent" from BONZI Software, released in 1999 and discontinued in 2005. The official website stated it would help a person explore the Internet through various functions along with their own sidekick.It first surfaced as a green talking parrot, before taking the form of an animated purple gorilla that resided on a user's desktop and communicated through the employment of Microsoft Agent technology.

BonziBuddy received wide recognition as malware, predominantly as a piece of adware, though claims of spyware capabilities have been made against it. [cite web | url= http://www.novell.com/coolsolutions/appnote/3590.html | title= AppNote: Automating the installation and execution of Spybot Search & Destroy with ZENworks | accessdate= 2007-07-14 | last= Geschwind | first= Bill | date= 2004-08-11 | work= Novell Cool Solutions | publisher= Novell | quote= "Hotbar, Bonzi Buddy, Gator eWallet and Comet Cursors ... are all spyware-laden programs that I have encountered far too often in the field on my users' machine" ]

Overview

The software used Microsoft Agent technology similar to Office Assistant, [cite web|url=http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,3973,1111245,00.asp|title="Bonzi Buddy" Creator Settles Suit |publisher=ExtremeTech|author=Mark Hachman|date=2003-05-28|accessdate=2006-09-07] and originally sported Peedy, a green parrot character, before it became the purple ape. [cite web|url=http://research.sunbelt-software.com/threatdisplay.aspx?name=BonziBuddy&threatid=3271|title=Counter Spy's entry on BonziBuddy|accessdate=2006-09-07] The software "interacts with users while they are online, providing shopping advice, jokes, and trivia."cite web|url=http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2004/02/bonziumg.htm|title=UMG Recordings, Inc. to Pay $400,000, Bonzi Software, Inc. To Pay $75,000 to Settle COPPA Civil Penalty Charges|publisher=Federal Trade Commission|date=2004-02-18|accessdate=2006-09-07]

At one point, the official website for the application said this about it::"He will explore the Internet with you as your very own friend and sidekick! He can talk, walk, joke, browse, search, e-mail, and download like no other friend you've ever had! He even has the ability to compare prices on the products you love and help you save money! Best of all, he's FREE!" ["Bonzi.com". http://www.bonzi.com/bonzibuddy/bonzimail.asp. Retrieved July 10, 2005.]

Criticism

In April 2007, PCWorld readers voted Bonzi Buddy 6th on a list of "the top 10 most annoying tech products". One reader is quoted as criticizing the program because it "kept popping up and obscuring things you needed to see." [cite web
url=http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,130647-page,6-c,techindustrytrends/article.html
title=Your top 10 most annoying tech products
publisher=PCWorld
accessdate=2007-07-14]

One of the last newspapers to write about BonziBUDDY while it was still in distribution described it as spyware and a "scourge of the Internet".cite web | url=http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-7669487_ITM | title=Prying Eyes Lurk Inside Your PC; Spyware Spawns Efforts at Control. | publisher=The Gale Group, Inc. | accessdate=2007-11-16] Another article found in 2006 on the BusinessWeek website described BonziBUDDY as "the unbelievably annoying spyware trojan horse".cite web | url=http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/FineOnMedia/archives/2006/09/breaking_myspac.html?campaign_id=rss_blog_fineonmedia | title=Breaking: MySpace Backlash Sighted In Mainstream Media! | publisher=Businessweek | accessdate=2007-11-16]

Regardless of whether a given user installed the program or not, the intensive use of Pop-up advertisements by BONZI Software was in itself a nuisance.

Adware or spyware

A number of sources identify BonziBUDDY as spyware, a claim the company disputes. In 2002 an article in Consumer Reports "Web Watch" labelled BonziBUDDY as spyware, stating that it is a "Backdoor Santa" in that it collects information from users. Among 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, and serving advertisements.cite web
url=http://www.consumerwebwatch.org/dynamic/privacy-investigations-categories-spy.cfm
title=Five Major Categories of Spyware
publisher=Consumer Reports
author=Robertson Barrett
date=2002-11-21
accessdate=2006-09-07]

The Spyware Removal Database at Safer Networking (makers of Spybot - Search & Destroy) states "BonziBuddy is an Internet Explorer toolbar that may change your web browser settings, change your home page, and launch pop-up advertisements while tracking your web browsing habits." [ [http://www.safer-networking.com/removeBonziBuddy.php Safer Networking] article "Spyware Removal Database - Remove BonziBuddy" accessed October 25, 2007]

"Spyware Guide's" entry on the program states that it is adware. [cite web
url=http://www.spywareguide.com/product_show.php?id=512
title=Spyware Guide's entry on BonziBUDDY
accessdate=2006-09-07]

Anti-virus company Trend Micro classifies the software as adware in their spyware/grayware listings, but not malware. [cite web
url=http://www.trendmicro.com/vinfo/grayware/printerfriendly.asp?GNAME=ADW%5FBONJING%2EA
title=ADW_BONJING.A
accessdate=2007-07-14
date=2004-06-08
publisher=Trend Micro|] [cite web
url=http://www.trendmicro.com/vinfo/grayware/ve_GraywareDetails.asp?GNAME=ADW_BONZIBUDDY.C
title=ADW_BONZIBUDDY.C
accessdate=2007-07-14
date=2004-06-08
publisher=Trend Micro]

Legal

There were two legal cases about the software.

* "Internetnews.com" reported the settlement of a class action suit on May 27, 2003. Originally brought against Bonzi Software on December 4, 2002, the suit accused Bonzi of using its banner advertisements of deceptively imitating Windows computer alerts, alerting the user that their IP Address is being broadcast. In the settlement, Bonzi agreed to modify their ads so that they looked less like a Windows dialogue box and to make them appear more like advertisements. [cite web|url=http://www.internetnews.com/IAR/article.php/2212851|title=Bonzi Settles Deceptive Ad Suit|author=Brian Morrissey|publisher=internetnews.com|date=2003-05-27|accessdate=2003-06-06 [http://web.archive.org/web/20030606143945/http://internetnews.com/IAR/article.php/2212851 archive.org link] ] [cite web|url=http://www.internetnews.com/IAR/article.php/1551941|title=Bonzi Hit With Deceptive-Ad Complaint|author=Brian Morrissey|publisher=internetnews.com|date=2002-12-04|accessdate=2003-06-18 [http://web.archive.org/web/20030618110224/http://www.internetnews.com/IAR/article.php/1551941 archive.org link] ]

* On February 18, 2004, the Federal Trade Commission released a statement indicating that Bonzi Software, Inc. was ordered to pay $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.cite web|url=http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2004/02/bonziumg.htm|title=UMG Recordings, Inc. to Pay $400,000, Bonzi Software, Inc. To Pay $75,000 to Settle COPPA Civil Penalty Charges|publisher=Federal Trade Commission|date=2004-02-18|accessdate=2006-09-07]

References

External links

* [http://www.smartcomputing.com/editorial/article.asp?article=articles/2005/w1602/29w03.asp&ArticleID=25523&guid= Smart Computing's removal guide]