Zango software is listed as adware by Symantec, and is also labeled as a potentially unwanted program by McAfee.

However, As of April 2010[update], Hotbar, Seekmo, and ZangoCash, formerly owned by Zango, continue to operate as part of Pinball Corporation.

It provided targeted advertising[1] in return for partner companies' content such as sports, comedy, dance, erotic videos, online games, and screensavers.

[4] StopBadware.org lists a number of undesirable behaviors associated with Zango Easy Messenger, including "behaves as spyware", "automatically runs on startup", "displays pop-up advertisements", "installs adware", and "bundled software cannot be closed".

The same site states, "We find that Zango Easy Messenger is not badware, although it does engage in behaviors that users should be aware of.

This business model paid users a minimal amount to surf the Internet while running an application that showed banner ads.

Using this method, an ActiveX prompt simply asked the user to install the software so that they could receive "comparison shopping advertisements."

In 2004, Benjamin Edelman, assistant professor at Harvard Business School and spyware researcher, analyzed the network behavior of 180solutions applications and claimed they redirected commissions to themselves that were properly due to affiliates, and additionally caused merchants to pay commissions when affected users clicked on merchant sites directly.

In March, they acquired one of their distribution partners, a Canadian company called CDT (dba LoudCash, giving them direct visibility into and greater control of many of the formerly "third party" distributors.

Critics considered that the business model was untenable because fraud against 180solutions which harmed unknowing users via non-consensual installs could never be completely removed.

[15] Zango denied any involvement with the widget, and further investigation by an Infoworld senior writer showed that the Fortinet report was incorrect.

Zango said it was narrowing its focus to concentrate on its new product Platrium, a "casual gaming experience" that showed targeted ads, shopping comparisons and search suggestions based on keywords from the user's Internet browsing.

This corporation was 100% owned by Blinkx[24] On January 23, 2006, a public advocacy group filed two official complaints with the Federal Trade Commission.

The Center for Democracy and Technology complaints charged 180solutions with engaging in unfair and deceptive business practices, deliberately duping Internet users into downloading intrusive advertising software.

[26] Since the FTC ruling, security researchers continued to find Zango involved in problematic installs.

The company said its software was voluntarily installed by users who downloaded premium content in exchange for their consent to view advertisements relevant to what they searched for online.

[34] In May 2007,[9] Zango filed a lawsuit against PC Tools alleging tortious interference with its business and trade libel, because the PC Tools product Spyware Doctor at that time classified Zango software as malicious and removed it without informing users.

[42] In June 2009 the court ruled that Kaspersky could not be held liable for any actions it took to manufacture and distribute the technical means to restrict Zango software's access to others.

[43][44] Unusual methods of installation and operation have evolved as software such as Zango is targeted to run on a broader mix of applications and platforms.

From version 10.2 on, it identifies itself as belonging to Pinball Corp.[45] Hotbar adds a toolbar and the option of extra skins to these programs.

Grandfathered version 4 Premium accounts had unlimited access, as long as the activation link supplied when purchased was saved.

[47] Hotbar can be detected and removed by several anti-spyware and anti-virus programs, including Windows Defender, Spybot - Search & Destroy, Nod 32, and Norton AntiVirus.

[48] Seekmo is an adware program by Zango that claimed to be a free tool to provide content such as MP3 files, screen savers, and videos.

After downloading this file users must install the Seekmo Toolbar, which will display advertisements related to the websites visited.