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Spywarehunter - Unmasking the Transponder Gang!
History of Spyware
Thank the Dashbar for Todays Spyware Toolbars
22 August 2003
by: SpywareHunter
The hunter of the software of the spy
The history of Spyware toolbars that infest so many today are probably the descendants of the Dashbar and this was probably created thanks to the Netzero's ZeroPort when the company was launched in 1998.
According to archived pages of NetZero "...A core feature of NetZero is The ZeroPort™, a small window displayed on our users' computer screens while they are online. The ZeroPort can be moved to any point on the computer screen but cannot be closed so The ZeroPort is always visible regardless of where a user travels on the Web. This enables advertisers to display messages the entire time the user is online. ..." Source: What is NetZeo Archive.org
The Dashbar could be considered the Grandfather of Spyware toolbars as it came into being in 1999 Dashbar Screen Shot from the past owners of Dash.com.
Founders of Dash.com
Dash.com Founders
1. The founding Chief Executive Officer of dash.com, Mr. Kaufman conceived of dash as a consumer advocate that would facilitate commerce between active shoppers and leading merchants.
Prior to founding dash, Mr. Kaufman established and led several companies. In 1996, he founded IvyEssays.com, which offers editing services and sample admissions essays to college and graduate school applicants. Before that, Mr. Kaufman co-founded Eastward Bound Inc., a company that operates wireless cable television systems in Baku, Azerbaijan and Yerevan, Armenia. In 1993, Mr. Kaufman began a real estate partnership that now owns more than 260 residential units in the greater Boston area.
Daniel Kaufman is also the owner of IPInsight that is listed as dealing in Spyware: Spywareguide -IPInsight
2. Joshua A. Abram - Founder and Executive Vice President of client Services
A veteran marketing entrepreneur, Mr. Abram brings a wealth of sales, marketing and new product development experience to dash.com. As its Executive Vice President of Client Services, Mr. Abram oversees Dash’s relations with merchant partners, affinity groups and other marketing partners.
Mr. Abram has been a principal in several marketing and product development firms that serve the media, direct marketing and Internet industries. He has extensive experience in creating large-scale affinity marketing programs and in developing and launching advertiser-supported alternative media.
Later Mr. Abram goes on to work with Alan Murray of the old Blackstonedata.com and the now direct-Revenue.com (VX2/Host.dll Transponder Spyware) as Managing Director Senior Staff Direct-Revenue. He is also listed in the whois as the owner of VX2.org domain with the same email address as that for VX2.cc. Whois Data
Dash was incorporated in The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Corporate Information
In 1999 at the same time that Real Networks was discovered to be using spyware tactics with its NetZip a news article in the Atnewyork.com also uncovers Dash.com of doing the same thing with its Dashbar.
November 30, 1999
Web Consumers Want to Save: Dash.com Struggles to Make It Easy
By atnewyork Staff
Source: http://www.atnewyork.com/news/article.php/248141
...The idea was born, says CEO Daniel Kaufman, with the rise of affiliate programs. The four founders -- Kaufman, Jason Priest, Chris Dowhan, and Joshua Abram -- reasoned that, if affiliate sites could get a percentage of a purchase for sending a customer to an e-commerce site, a mechanism could be created for the customer to get some of that money back himself. Of course, the creator of that mechanism -- Dash -- would get a small cut....
In conclusion, the snap to appliance to a browser was already being used by NetZero for the free Internet Access Service, Real Networks and others were just starting to use tracking of its users, and because of the eCommerce boom from 1998 till 2000, Gorilla Marketing tactics were being formed in order to get customers to the advertisers and the Dashbar was one of the first to be created for that purpose.
After Dash.com went under, Alan Murray of Commercialinc and Pipe9 teamed up with Joshua Abram if not before then and formed Blackstondata.com and .net and now Direct-Revenue.com, abetterinternet.com, Stop-popup-ads-now.com, mypanicbutton.com, VX2.cc, VX2.org, TPS108.org, and cleangetaway.biz.
For the complete story - go to webhelper.netfirms.com
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