Today CSA released a document containing a collection of vendor opinions about our Deceptor program. It seems several vendors took the time to add their thoughts, and we believe their views will be helpful as we keep improving our efforts to prevent consumers from getting infected by deceptive, harmful, and unwanted software.
Our take: we’re encouraged by the apparent effectiveness of our Deceptor program. The document is a great example of how the software monetization industry has been impacted by our work, and that there is now a strong sense of urgency in the industry to clean up. We understand that the process is disruptive, but we believe this approach results in better-protected and better-respected consumers.
Reading CSA’s document got us reflecting on those who have hijacked the software monetization industry and messed it up for the honest vendors. Just like we don’t want them to succeed, it seems these organizations want our Deceptor program to fail. We think this would be a real shame for consumers.
Running this Deceptor program is tough. It’s not easy to strike a balance between disrupting bad actors and encouraging honest vendors. We’ll scour the vendor comments in CSA’s document for new ideas we can use to get it right. We’ll continue to engage with and take input from our security partners, vendors, and consumer representatives. We’ll find ways to get regular input from vendors committed to doing it right. And we’ll try to make every decision based on what is best for consumers, even when these decisions are unpopular with the monetization industry.
While we’re happy that CSA’s document confirms that the Deceptor program works, we do understand that there are vendors out there who do want to treat consumers with respect, and who are shocked, offended, and even ashamed when they discover their app has landed on our Deceptor list.
If you’re a vendor who’s gotten entangled in an industry that spent the past decade telling you that your primary focus should be performance marketing instead of bringing your unique value to consumers, we want to get you back on track with as little fuss and as much help as possible. We have some great (and mostly free) services for you to consider:
- FREE: We’ll answer your questions and help you get your app off our Deceptor list.
- FREE: We’ll let you know (with up to 30 days’ notice) about Deceptor violations if you register your app to our Deceptor notification service.
- FREE: We’ll certify your app so you can show the world your app is safe and it respects consumers.
- PAID: We offer value-added subscription services like unlimited compliance consulting for your app, “insiders” access to requirements changes and industry trends, embedded electronic seals for your certified app, and assistance figuring out what to do when our security partners flag your certified app.
But we also want to be clear: if you think it’s fine to treat consumers as exploitable targets for deceptive and aggressive software, we totally understand your desire for us to leave you alone. We strongly suggest you either get on board or find something else to do with your time, as we’re going to continue to tune our Deceptor program to find even more effective ways to disrupt your ability to hurt consumers.