Akamai

[cmwade77]

There are several companies (including Adobe) offering downloads that are requiring you to use Akamai download manager.

Please note that by default you are opting in to allow them to use your bandwidth to upload to others that are downloading their software, which shifts the burden the bandwidth for hosting the files from their servers to their users.

This might be mentioned in their readme or some obscure place, but since you are not asked with a dialog box if you accept this upon installing it, it should be considered spyware.

Also, they provide uninstallers, but they do not completely remove the download manager and the upload portion remains active.

[dbelson]

I'm David Belson, Director of Market Intelligence for Akamai, and I found your post in a news search. I escalated it to my Product Management team, and here are their comments regarding the concerns you highlighted:


You are correct that the Akamai NetSession Interface is a service that is used to power the Akamai Download Manager, and that it's used by many software and media companies.

The NetSession client can be installed in two ways: either with or without uploads enabled. In either case you are asked to accept the Akamai End-user License Agreement (EULA), and if you decline the software is not installed.

In the case where uploads are enabled, this is stated at the top of our license agreement. Additionally, there is always the option of disabling uploads at any time by using the Akamai NetSession Interface Control Panel
(Windows) or System Preference Pane (Mac). When uploads are disabled at installation time, a dialog box prompt is presented asking for permission to enable uploads before the feature is turned on for the first time.

An Add/Remove Programs entry is available on Windows to allow for the easy uninstallation of NetSession and an uninstaller is available on Mac. Nothing should remain after the uninstallation. If uninstallation does not fully remove NetSession, that is a bug we would like to know about, so we can address that issue.

For more information please visit http://www.akamai.com/client

[cmwade77]

The very fact that there is an upload option in the software makes it spyware in my book.

In addition, when upload is set on by default, it does not display a dialog asking for permission. I don't care if it is or is not in the TOS, you should ask permission with a separate dialog box.

Uninstalling doesn't remove every file and registry entry on the system that your program installed. Heck, there are even two uninstallers and you have to manually remove plug-ins from the browser.

This spyware at best, possibly could be considered a virus, since uninstalls are not complete with one step.