Is AOL spying on its users?

A game distributed with new versions of AOL Instant Messenger does not respect users' privacy, critics say.

AOL began offering games along with the latest version of its instant messenger, and now some customers are worried that the company is playing with them, too.

People who use AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) have started complaining on AOL message boards after software bundled with AIM 5.5 began showing up in "spyware" scans. The popular chat application includes games from WildTangent, which has a tool that reports back to the company every time someone uses its products.

WildTangent chief executive Alex St. John denied that his company is doing anything improper. "It's not doing anything sneaky; it doesn't pop up anything," he said. "It tells us how popular a piece of content we release on the internet is."

Benign or not, the software and the controversy it has sparked highlight growing sensitivity among consumers over unexpected surprises accompanying free software downloads over the net - and the potential backlash facing companies that seek to quietly gather data on their customers.

Web surfers have zeroed in on concerns about spyware and its "adware" cousin, which is software that can lead to unwanted advertising pop-ups, changes in computer settings and other unexpected tweaks.

The issue has raised also significant questions about disclosure, with advertising and tracking features sometimes buried in lengthy licensing agreements, if they're mentioned at all. Some AIM 5.5 customers say they were surprised to discover that some of their activities are being tracked, and they criticised AOL for failing to better flag their practices.

One irate poster on an AIM message board wrote: "I realise most of the software we are talking about is free, but dammit, tell us up front what the software is going to do and let us decide before we install if we wish to comply."

Jim Hu writes for News.com