BonziBuddy
Developer(s)Bonzi Software, Inc.
Initial release1999
Final release
4.1 / 2005 (2005)
Operating systemMicrosoft Windows
TypeVirtual Assistant, Adware, Spyware, Malware
LicenseFreeware

BonziBuddy (/ˈbɒnziˌbʌd.iː/ BON-zee-bud-ee or BON-zih-bud-ee, stylized as BonziBUDDY) was a freeware desktop virtual assistant created by Joe and Jay Bonzi. Upon a user's choice, it would share jokes and facts, manage downloads, sing songs, and talk, among other functions, as it used Microsoft Agent.

BonziBuddy was described as spyware[1] and adware,[2] and discontinued in 2004 after the company behind it faced lawsuits regarding the software and was ordered to pay fines.[3] Bonzi's website remained open after the discontinuation of BonziBuddy, but was shut down at the end of 2008.[citation needed]

Design

The software used Microsoft Agent technology similar to Office Assistant,[4] and originally sported Peedy, a green parrot and one of the characters available with Microsoft Agent. Later versions of BonziBuddy in May 2000 featured its own character: Bonzi, a purple gorilla.[5] The program also used a text-to-speech voice to interact with the user. The voice was called Sydney and taken from an old Lernout & Hauspie Microsoft Speech API 4.0 package. It is often referred to in some software as Adult Male #2.

A number of sources identify BonziBuddy as spyware, a claim the company disputed.[6] In 2002, an article in Consumer Reports Web Watch labeled BonziBuddy as spyware, stating that it contains a backdoor trojan that collects information from users. The activities the program is said to engage in include constantly resetting the user's web browser homepage to bonzi.com without the user's permission, prompting and tracking various information about the user, installing a toolbar, and serving advertisements.[7]

Trend Micro and Symantec have both classified the software as adware.[8][9][10] Spyware Guide's entry on the program also states that it is adware.[11]

Reception

In April 2007, PC World readers voted BonziBuddy the sixth on a list named "The 20 Most Annoying Tech Products". One reader was quoted as criticizing the program because it "kept popping up and obscuring things you needed to see".[12]

One of the last newspaper articles written about BonziBuddy while it was still in distribution described it as spyware and a "scourge of the Internet".[13] Another article found in 2006 on the BusinessWeek website described BonziBuddy as "the unbelievably annoying spyware trojan horse".[14]

Lawsuits

Internetnews.com reported the settlement of a class action suit on 27 May 2003. Originally brought against Bonzi Software on 4 December 2002, the suit accused Bonzi of using its banner advertisements to deceptively imitate Windows computer alerts, alerting the user that their IP address is being broadcast. In the settlement, Bonzi Software agreed to modify their ads so that they looked less like Windows dialog boxes and more like actual advertisements.[15][16]

On February 18, 2004, the Federal Trade Commission released a statement indicating that Bonzi Software, Inc. was ordered to pay US$75,000 in fees, among other aspects, for violating the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act by collecting personal information from children under the age of 13 with BonziBuddy.[17]

Aftermath

After the BonziBuddy software was discontinued, images depicting Bonzi were sold as NFTs on OpenSea.[18]

See also

References

  1. ^ Geschwind, Bill (11 August 2004). "AppNote: Automating the installation and execution of Spybot Search & Destroy with ZENworks". Novell Cool Solutions. Novell. Archived from the original on 25 December 2018. Retrieved 14 July 2007.
  2. ^ "BonziBuddy". www.spywareguide.com. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  3. ^ Ravenscraft, Eric (18 August 2017). "A Brief History of BonziBuddy, the Internet's Most Friendly Malware". How-To Geek. Retrieved 23 December 2017.
  4. ^ Hachman, Mark (28 May 2003). ""Bonzi Buddy" Creator Settles Suit". ExtremeTech. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on 1 April 2019. Retrieved 7 September 2006.
  5. ^ "Counter Spy's entry on BonziBuddy". Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 7 September 2006.
  6. ^ "BonziBuddy". Spyware Loop. 16 July 2013. Archived from the original on 28 April 2014. Retrieved 27 July 2013.
  7. ^ Barrett, Robertson (21 November 2002). "Five Major Categories of Spyware". Consumer Reports. Consumers Union of U.S. Archived from the original on 9 January 2006. Retrieved 7 September 2006.
  8. ^ "ADW_BONJING.A". trendmicro.com. Trend Micro. 8 July 2004. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007.
  9. ^ "ADW_BONZIBUDDY.C". Threat Encyclopedia. Trend Micro. 8 June 2004. Archived from the original on 22 February 2016. Retrieved 14 July 2007.
  10. ^ "Adware.Bonzi". symantec.com. Symantec. 13 February 2007. Retrieved 5 April 2009.
  11. ^ "BonziBuddy". Spyware Guide. Actiance. Retrieved 12 September 2017.
  12. ^ "The 20 most annoying tech products - PC World Australia". www.pcworld.idg.com.au. Archived from the original on 26 January 2022. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  13. ^ Kladko, Brian (21 March 2004). "Prying Eyes Lurk Inside Your PC; Spyware Spawns Efforts at Control". The Gale Group, Inc. Retrieved 16 November 2007.
  14. ^ "Breaking: MySpace Backlash Sighted In Mainstream Media!". Businessweek. Bloomberg L.P. Archived from the original on 3 June 2011. Retrieved 16 November 2007.
  15. ^ Morrissey, Brian (27 May 2003). "Bonzi Settles Deceptive Ad Suit". internetnews.com. QuinStreet. Archived from the original on 6 June 2003. Retrieved 12 September 2017.
  16. ^ Morrissey, Brian (4 December 2002). "Bonzi Hit With Deceptive-Ad Complaint". internetnews.com. QuinStreet. Archived from the original on 18 June 2003. Retrieved 12 September 2017.
  17. ^ Schwartzman, Jen (18 February 2004). "UMG Recordings, Inc. to Pay $400,000, Bonzi Software, Inc. To Pay $75,000 to Settle COPPA Civil Penalty Charges". ftc.gov. Federal Trade Commission. Retrieved 12 September 2017.
  18. ^ Joe and Jay Bonzi. "BonziBUDDY NFTs from the original creators Joe and Jay Bonzi". OpenSea.
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