Surely we have ever heard of Softonic, one of the best-known websites for downloading programs where we can find almost all the software we can imagine. This website gained a lot of popularity in the early 2000s, but in addition to being a complete library of programs, it is also known for malpractice and taking advantage of the work of others. The website introduced a installer in the programs that he uploaded to his website that filled users’ PCs with malware and unwanted programs. Now, Softonic has once again shamelessly taken advantage of the work of others.
Surely, if we have downloaded any Softonic program, especially programs that are distributed for free on the main websites, we have come across an installer like this one. When running it, it tries to sneak unwanted software onto the PC using tricks and tricks so that, if we are not careful, it will wipe out the infected PC from the top.
It is true that this installer disappeared a few years ago. However, the ideal of taking advantage of the work of others and stealing other developers’ intellectual property remains one of the company’s core pillars. Or, at least, this is how the Itch.io portal denounces it.
He steals a game and fills it with advertising
Itch.io is a portal where all kinds of independent developers upload their games to share them, free or paid, with others. It comes to be, broadly speaking, the Steam of independent developers, and an outlet for those users who are taking their first steps in the video game sector and do not want to make a pact with the devil (Steam, in this case) to publish their titles.
A few hours ago, this well-known developer portal reported on its official Twitter account that Softonic had been stealing some of the games from their platformuploading them to their own servers and filling the game page with full screen advertising.
And not only that, but it has even paid links to Google to appear in the top positions instead of appearing on the developer’s website, and it has even carried out dirty techniques so that it cannot be linked to the Itch.io portal.
But Softonic’s evil does not end here. In the game file we can find a section where it is attributed to the developer (noxula), with a link. But this link has a nofollow tag that what it does is prevent Google, or any other search engine, from receiving attribution as original content.
Even if we now enter the Softonic program tab, they have removed the link to the developer.
The developer wanted to remove it
Due to personal reasons, the developer of this game wanted to make it disappear. Itch, of course, allowed him to do it, as well as the rest of the stores where he was posted. However, this decision did not prevent Softonic from taking advantage of the situation to steal the game, upload it to its website and, incidentally, create an entry on its blog explaining how to download it that, spoiler alert, links to its own tab full of advertising. .
Because the @itchio link is no longer available, ST then bubbles up on search results when people go looking for the game.
The dev took their page down because they used some assets without permission and wanted to make it right. So it’s doubly messed up that ST still hosts it
January 18, 2023 • 02:02
It is not the first time that Softonic has acted like this, and it is not the last time either. It’s clear that he doesn’t care about the users (since he fills their computers with malware), nor does he care about the developers (since he steals their programs or games without permission as soon as they’re a little successful). So what is the only thing that matters to this portal? The answer is obvious.
