[hershey]

I hate to sound so clueless, but I'm not quite sure how software like WhenU and Ezula work. This is what I gather: Someone can download them on their PC unknowingly? Then when that person is surfing, s/he can go to my website and will see some of my links highlighted? These highlighted links then lead to the site of the advertiser who has paid Ezula or whomever? So a link on my site designed to lead to my travel offer will instead go to the "highjacker's (advertiser's) site/offer. Is that how it works?

[Leader]

Yep... The parasiteware is usually bundled with something the user wants (like KaZaA), but when they go to download the program they want, the parasiteware comes along with it.

So basically the user gets it by surprise and then once it's installed, it starts with the hijacking, by the means you said!

[buckworks]

I'd say your understanding is pretty good.

The one detail that might need clarification is that your links will still go where you expect them, it's just that other links can be laid "on top" of them so that what the user clicks isn't actually your link any more. Or sometimes they deliver popups that intend to divert your traffic, and even if they don't succeed in that they degrade your user's experience of your website.

The extent of this problem will vary from one scumware program to the next, but the bottom line is that they all connive to deliver THEIR links by parasiting on YOUR content.

If you haven't found it yet, check out http://scumware.com for more info.

Elisabeth Archambault