Latest on the block

MOST people who use the internet frequently are also heavy users of Instant Messaging (IM) services – this isn’t a fact, just an opinion. And even though the past couple of years have seen an increase in the number of people switching to Google Talk or sticking to Yahoo! Messenger, the fact remains that MSN Messenger still rules the roost.

This has probably more to do with the fact that MSN Messenger has been around for a long time. Besides, it is a real hassle to switch to a different messenger when all your contacts are on MSN only. Over the years, the MSN Messenger has been the victim of many a forwarded email as well as myths which are circulated around the internet without anyone ever bothering to verify them.

There was this one email some years ago, and is still being circulated, which warned readers that if they didn’t “verify” that they were actively using Hotmail by forwarding the email in question to a specific number of contacts, their account would be deleted. Consequently, they would not be able to access MSN Messenger either. People fervently proceeded to forward that email to almost everyone they knew. Not surprisingly, it turned out to be a hoax.

Hoaxes pertaining to MSN Messenger have become the order of the day. The very latest of such hoaxes plays on the very basic instinct of internet users to know who’s blocking them. One can never understand what it is with people and their desire to know whose contact list they are on and who has severed all ties with them by removing them from it. However, the fact remains that such curiosity is characteristic of IM users – whether they are in Pakistan or live in a foreign land.

It all started when mysterious automated messages started appearing sent by a contact on one’s list. All these messages said was: “Did you know you can find out who blocked you on MSN? Check it out, it’s free.” Now what is all this about finding out who blocked you (simply known as the Block Checker), one may wonder, and what does it do? Well, its precise functions cannot be traced to its original website because it has long since disappeared – probably the creators didn’t bother paying for the domain name. However, its long-term effects continue to linger.

Here, one thing needs to be categorically stated. Irrespective of what that so-called software claimed, there is literally no way to know who is blocking you on MSN Messenger and who isn’t. If you are that desperate to find out, simply get a mutual contact to check if a certain person is online. If so, then check if s/he is online in your list. If not, then you’ll know you are blocked.

Another way to discover the same thing is to use the privacy tab (Tools>Options>Privacy). Among the various functions that you can perform on this option, you can also check who has added you to their list of contacts. If the person you are looking for is not on that list, it is safe to assume that s/he has removed you from their list of contacts – hence, you are effectively blocked.

These are, to date, the only two legitimate ways of finding out who has blocked you and who hasn’t. Block checkers are of no earthly use. But then, one may ask, what are they doing on the internet and why are they so popular? The answer to the latter, of course, is that they are popular simply because internet users are not only curious, they are highly sceptical as well. If someone on their list doesn’t come online for a very long time, they begin to wonder if they have been blocked. Of course, there are people who couldn’t care less, but the number of times the Block Checker was downloaded proves that such sceptical beings do exist, even if we don’t know them personally.

Block Checkers basically play on this instinct. You go to their website and you download them – but the question then arises: what are those who created these checkers in the first place getting out of it? It’s quite simple. These Block Checkers are simply spyware in disguise. I never downloaded it so I don’t quite know if anyone managed to find out who’s blocking them. However, simply type “block checkers are spyware” in Google and analyse the search results which come up.

The results are many and most of them point to computer-related troubleshooting forums, in which participants are fervently asking what to do about these checkers since they have installed numerous spyware on their computers. Plus, the suspicious software that they do install keeps on advertising these Block Checkers to everyone on their MSN’s list of contacts.

More specifically, the Block Checker actually belongs to the AdClicker advertising program. This means that once it is downloaded and installed on your PC, it can easily collect your browsing habits; that is, the websites you frequently visit and can send this information back to the parent website. And since you are required to enter your email address to operate this software, the result is a huge increase in your spam email. Moreover, it will also result in annoying pop-up advertisements.

This Block Checker was actually also supporting other IMs as well, including Yahoo! Messenger and AOL Instant Messenger. If you dig further, you will discover that these Block Checkers actually constitute a new kind of spam which is overtaking the Internet. This is called Spam over Instant Messengers (SPIM). This is a pertinent term considering that spamming is what the software/spyware in question basically does. SPIM has been in existence for a number of years but it is only now with these sophisticated software coming on the scene, that people fail to recognise them for what they are and instead, fall for them.

However, this is not to say that parent companies of IMs are sitting idle. Microsoft has come up with a security (read privacy) update for MSN Messengers which ensures that these Block Checkers can no longer work. Maybe this is why the parent website of a Block Checker has disappeared from the scene. Its remnants are on other websites though, thus it is best to exercise caution.

In the end, it all comes down to precaution. If a software sounds too good to be true, it probably is. If you see any software making tall claims and advertising itself through your list of contacts, without their knowledge, it should be enough to raise your eye brows. In such a scenario, it is best to Google the term and see what it turns up. In nine out of 10 cases, you will find out the truth behind such software in seconds. Be a little sceptical at the right time and you’ll save yourself from falling for these spyware.