Privacy Center

Software Distribution Best Practices

We believe that prior to installing any software, it should be clear to the user what is being installed. We will not distribute software applications secretly or hidden within another program, nor will we work with software vendors who secretly install software. We believe users should also always be able to decline any software offer, and to remove the software later.

Notice and choice can only be effective if disclosures are easy to understand. We believe that before users install software they should know the following:

• The identity of the software provider
• The principal functionality of the software
• The consequences of installing the software (i.e. collection of PII, use of information, or ad supported)

In addition, we believe that users should have the opportunity to review the software’s End User License Agreement and Privacy Statement.

We require all software applications be easy to uninstall, using the Windows Add/Remove program functionality. The uninstall process should be complete and not leave behind components that affect the functionality of the user’s computer. We will not distribute software applications that automatically reinstall.

Finally, we require advertisements be clearly branded to identify the advertisement with the software and provider.

W3i Commitment to the User Experience

We believe the installation process should be easy to understand. We target our lead offers and we never present more than 4 additional software offers to the user during installation.

We also require each partner to include in the splash page a printable link to its End User License Agreement and Privacy Policy. Our users have and will always have the option to decline every offer presented..

We also monitor every partner that distributes advertising to make sure that pop-ups, pop-unders or exit windows do not impair the user experience.

Finally, we require each partner annually to have its software application reviewed by an independent third party to insure that the application can be easily uninstalled.

User Choice

We believe users should be in control. To promote control, W3i has specific End User License Agreements that disclose application functionality and data collection. We recommend users review each product's End User License Agreements. Here we have also compiled links to some of our Partner’s End User License Agreements.

W3i EULAs

• Screensavers and Wallpapers
• YourScreen
• Freeze Toolbar

Partner EULAs

• The Weather Channel
• Yahoo! Toolbar
• Yahoo! Music