Facebook Disables 'Secret Crush,' Zango Denies Relationship

  • January 7, 2008
Social networking site Facebook Friday said it had disabled the "Secret Crush" application, which online security company Fortinet alleged was luring Facebook members into downloading Zango adware.

Also on Friday, Zango said it was not affiliated with "Secret Crush."

Last week's Fortinet report included a screenshot of an iframe apparently generated by Secret Crush that displays an ad for the Zango Horoscope application. Users who download that application will also receive Zango's adware, which tracks them across the Web and serves them pop-up ads.

Zango, fined $3 million by the FTC in 2006 for improperly installing adware, said the ad for the horoscope application was bought by one of the company's partners. "Although we did not purchase this ad directly, it was placed by one of our advertising partners within the Facebook system, which appears to be a completely legitimate practice," the company stated in its blog.

--Wendy Davis

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