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Internet advertising changes gears

Stefanie Olsen CNET News.com

Published: 31 Mar 2004 12:35 BST

Second, 180solutions plans to make partners of Web publishers, which often hate ads obstructing their content. Publishing partners get fees for each person who downloads Zango.

The benefit to users, 180solutions chief executive Keith Smith says, is access to ad-free content. "We introduced a concept called time shifting with the idea of letting readers get access to content unencumbered by banners and pop-ups," Smith said. "Instead, they would install our software, and then, when they are shopping or looking for something online, they would get ads that are relevant and timely."

He added that users will only see two to three ads a day.

Zango has so far signed on Caption City, a humour Web site, and the rapper Sir Mix-A-Lot to feature premium music selections for Zango.

"I love the Internet, but I hate what it's becoming -- you know, an intrusive...slithery place of smut and pop-ups," said Sir Mix-A-Lot. "In designing my Web site, I have no advertisers, no banners, no pop-ups. The problem became keeping my content fresh without costing a lot of dough."

"Zango's all about keeping the Internet free," he added.

Complaints and challenges
But 180solutions is entering a thorny market. Some adware programs have been criticised for lax disclosure policies, leading to complaints from users that they installed the program without knowing it.

The company has faced such complaints over n-Case, billed by the company as an advertising software tool.

According to security site PestPatrol, n-Case is "an ActiveX drive-by installer," meaning that it can automatically install itself onto desktops through various ads at Web sites. The program then adds new files and serves pop-up ads, according to the site. It also poses a risk to privacy, with the ability to send a unique identifier from the PC to its home servers that could include data on Web usage, email and other personally identifiable information.