Joe,
This is the official blurb from AI Squared release notes. This is undoubtedly what your network sniffer is finding.
Quote
" ZoomText 8.0 utilizes network discovery to limit
product usage to the limits of its license.
+ When running a single-user copy, if another
single-user copy with the same serial number is
discovered, the new instance of ZoomText will
receive a License Violation message and be forced
to exit. Note: The License Violation message will
identify the copy that's already running by
displaying the registration information (name and
company) along with the machine name.
+ When running a Site License or District License,
if any license of the same type is discovered
(serial numbers need not match), the higher number
of users is used to determine if the new instance
has exceeded to the number of licensed users. If it
has, it will receive a License Violation message
and be forced to exit."
End Quote
Please note that the information provided here is my own opinion and in no way reflects the opinions of the Lighthouse of Houston.
Ian Sangree
Director of Adaptive Technology Services
The Lighthouse of Houston
3602 W. Dallas
Houston, TX 77019
voice (713) 284-8430
fax (713) 527-8451
-----Original Message-----
From: Joe Clever [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Wednesday, October 08, 2003 4:18 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Zoomtext 8.03 may contain spyware
After using a network sniffer on my LAN, it appears to me that Zoomtext =
8.03
is transmitting user information back to a server (IP address =
239.240.18.21)
on the internet. The information is being transmitted in plain text. Ai
Squirm appears to be collecting information you supply during the
installation process of Zoomtext, such as serial number, user name, =
company
name, computer name and possibly more. The info is transmitted every 60
seconds, or so.=20
I hope someone more knowledgeable about TCP/IP, than I, can confirm or =
deny
my findings. I have not checked earlier versions of Zoontext for this
behavior.
I see no mention of this data collection in Ai Squared's End User =
License
Agreement or in their site privacy policy. To me, this is sad, =
irritating
and annoying and this meets my definition of "spyware".
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