Former Intermix CEO Settles Spitzer Probe for $750,000
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The former chief executive of a company accused of secretly installing adware and spyware on millions of home computers agreed to pay $750,000 in penalties after an investigation, the New York attorney general, Eliot Spitzer, said yesterday. In April, Mr. Spitzer sued Intermix Media Incorporated, saying the company was responsible for sending software tens of millions of times on computers across the country and 3 million times in New York.
Shortly after filing the suit, Mr. Spitzer’s office began investigating Intermix’s founder and former CEO, Brad Greenspan, Mr. Spitzer’s spokesman, Brad Maione, said. Mr. Greenspan, 32, served as CEO of Intermix from July 2002 to October 2003. Investigators said he directed employees to bundle adware with other free programs and to make the software difficult to remove.
“This agreement sends a message that intrusive and deceptive practices will not be tolerated,” Mr. Spitzer said.
