On February 18, 2004, the Federal Trade Commission released a statement indicating that Bonzi Software, Inc.In the settlement, Bonzi Software agreed to modify their ads so that they looked less like Windows dialog boxes and more like actual advertisements Originally brought against Bonzi Software on 4 December 2002, the suit accused Bonzi of using its banner advertisements to deceptively start Windows computer alerts, alerting the user that their IP address is being broadcast. reported the settlement of a class action suit on.There were two legal cases involving the software. Although Symantec refers to Bonzi as Adware, such behaviour is typical for spyware. Īnti-virus company Symantec states that BonziBUDDY may collect usage statistics when certain keywords are typed in the browser. Īnti-virus company Trend Micro classifies the software as adware in their spyware/ grayware listings, but not malware. Spyware Guide's entry on the program states that it is adware. The Spyware Removal Database at Safer Networking (makers of Spybot - Search & Destroy) states "BonziBuddy is an Internet Explorer toolbar that may change your web browser settings, change your home page, and launch pop-up advertisements while tracking your web browsing habits." Among the activities that the program is involved in are resetting the user's web browser home page to without the user's consent, asking and tracking various information about the user, and serving ads. In 2002, an article in Consumer Reports uWeb Tracking tagged BonziBUDDY :/ as spyware and stated that it was a Backdoor Trojan as it collected information from users. The number of sources define BonziBUDDY as spyware, a claim the company disputes. Another article found in 2006 on the BusinessWeek website described BonziBUDDY as "the unbelievably annoying spyware trojan horse". One of the last newspapers to write about BonziBUDDY while it was still in distribution described it as spyware and a "scourge of the Internet". In April 2007, PCWorld readers voted Bonzi Buddy 6th on their list of "20 most annoying tech gadgets". For example, Bonzi told jokes and sang songs, but to go beyond a few jokes and songs (about half a dozen) users were urged to purchase joke or song modules. But most functions in the free version were only samples or demos that would urge people to pay for modules to extend the functionality. He will explore the Internet with you as your very own friend and sidekick! He can talk, walk, joke, browse, search, e-mail, and download like no other friend you've ever had! He even has the ability to compare prices on the products you love and help you save money! Best of all, he's FREE! The software "interacts with users while they are online, providing shopping advice, jokes, and trivia." Īt one point, the official website for the application said this about it: The software used Microsoft Agent technology similar to Office Assistant, and originally sported Peedy, a green parrot character, before it became the purple ape. This is because BonziBuddy's website has been inactive for several years, although there are remakes, and their connections to the adware providers have been lost, meaning that for the most part, BonziBuddy is now benign.īonziBuddy received wide recognition as malware, predominantly as a piece of adware, though claims of spyware capabilities have been made against it. However, Bonzi tended to do little except occasionally provide stale jokes and greet Joel. The Software became popular in late 2013 due to a livestream released by Joel, a member of the popular gaming group Vinesauce, who made a stream involving releasing Bonzi into a Windows XP Virtual Machine to cause chaos amongst a host of other viruses and adware. It first surfaced as a green talking parrot, before taking the form of an animated purple gorilla that resided on a user's desktop and communicated through the employment of Microsoft Agent technology. The official website stated it would help a person explore the Internet through various functions along with their own sidekick. BonziBUDDY promotional logo previously at īonziBUDDY, sometimes spelled Bonzi Buddy, BonziBuddy, or BONZIBuddy, (misspelled Bonzai Buddy) was an "intelligent software agent" from BONZI Software, taking the form of a purple gorilla, that was released in 1999 and later discontinued in 2004.
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