Is magicJack spyware?

[neo1]

I just bought MJ but I am afraid to use it because I don't know if it is spyware or not. They already say MJ monitors phone calls for advertizing. MJ is associated with Goggle which is advertizing supported.

Why does it have to install 2 pseudo drives on my computer?

Do we know that MJ does not monitor our web surfing? Do we know that MJ does not gather information from our computers?

Until I know these things I am afraid to use the product.

Any help or comments would be appreciated.

Thanks much!

[az2008]

It's used by a lot of hacker types. If it were doing things like sending your harddisk to the MJ mothership, it would be reported pretty quickly. I don't feel it's doing anything malicious right now.

However, I watched magicjackloader.exe with "procmon" a few weeks ago and saw it accessing things MagicJack had no reason to access, like directories in my directories associated with my web browser, containing browsing history.

BTW: I stopped that by cloning the shortcut to MJ, and changing the "target" to:

Code: Select all

"[drive]:\Profiles\[user]\Application Data\mjusbsp\magicJack.exe" /foreground /scf _magicJackPersonalDataRoot "[drive]:\magicJack"

You have to change the bracketed information. Be sure to keep the quotes. That will execute MJ without the "loader." You can also add /lf logfile.txt and it will log some interesting things. It goes just before the /scf.

I kept a couple of posts I saw in the bast. They might interest you:

Behaviors are like malware

http://www.phoneservicesupport.com/post23638.html#23638

Something about UTSCI.exe

http://www.phoneservicesupport.com/post24055.html#24055

IMO, one of the bad parts of this topic is that it invariably relies upon trust. And, MJ's first year hasn't consisted of a lot of trust-generating behaviors.

MagicJack's first and most passionate customers were tossed from the user support forum on the MagicJack web site around the time the product went "General Availability." (That's how this forum got started.). Dan didn't want to provide such a support forum. Preferring instead to give us an "infomercial" web site, and the luxury of offshore support.

Then complaints of over-charging. Misleading customers about the 30-day trial. Billing before shipping. The random number generator on the web site (showing how many purchases have been made). The 30-day trial which is said to be on its last day of availability, every day. Selling four years of service as five. Suddenly enforcing an "excessive use" termination policy that wasn't defined, without warning, without notification, and without even telling the chat support people. (Very similar to this week's 30-minute cap drama.).

After awhile it starts to look like there may be no limits to how he may feel he can treat his customers. So, I wouldn't rule anything out. Each new episode makes things that sounded incredible a few months ago, seem plausible.

Mark

[emiliomcol]

im not very sure of that concern fo you but you can monitor the executable file in order to see the processes open on your computer and be for sure that magicjack dont do anything of you are afraid of

[noodler2]

I just bought MJ but I am afraid to use it

Then why did you buy it?

[davrow]

I think it is slightly over the edge of the paranoia envelope to worry about MJ this way.

Your computer is so open to exploitation that you should not be on the Internet if MJ worries you that much.

One solution, use a dedicated PC for MJ. It will run on an amazingly inexpensive old ccomputer. Then there is nothing for MJ (or anyone else) to spy on.

edited to add: Not sure why you think it has anything to do with (I assume you mean) Google. If that were the case, Dan would not be able to trample on his customers the way he does. Google is too professional for that.

[grimball]

I just bought MJ but I am afraid to use it

Then why did you buy it?

I'll give you 20 bucks for it!.............

[neo1]

I just bought MJ but I am afraid to use it

Then why did you buy it?

I bought it before I started looking for information about it on the net.

[neo1]

...edited to add: Not sure why you think it has anything to do with (I assume you mean) Google. If that were the case, Dan would not be able to trample on his customers the way he does. Google is too professional for that.

If MJ is not associated with Google then why is "Google" on the MJ interface?

Google's business is internet advertizing. They will do anything within the law to increase their business. Spyware programs are very popular now which hampers Google's business model. Google would love to have people voluntarily install something on their computer to improve their business.

I don't know but it raises questions. Hopefully the MJ company will clear this up soon.

[noodler2]

I bought it before I started looking for information about it on the net.

Ahh ... that explains it. The interwebs are the BEST place to feed the hypochondriac within