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Answered

Illegally Installing Chrome

Forum|Forum|13 years ago
August 26, 2012
6 replies
34027 views

... and Google Toolbar. Never asked for permission. Almost positive this is illegal. Defend thyself.

This topic has been closed for replies.

Correct answer dmh165638

The latest Flashplayer update gives no options to opt out of Google Chrome or the Google IE Toolbar. I have verified the process myself and there are zero checkboxes at any point in the update install. So yes you can prevent someone from unchecking a box if you remove it completely. I have had several hundred users report this. This is a problem since Google Chrome is not allowed on our corporate devices.

1

12345Tom

Participating Frequently

Our IT Department has identified this problem too. Another user installed the flash update and it automatically installed Chrome and changed a lot of settings that our IT Department wasn't happy about that conflict with Outlook. I thought that user left the checkbox checked. A few days later, I encountered the same problem. I have my update preferences set to notify me when updates are available. I rebooted my computer and had the adobe update dialogue box with the notification and an 'update now?' option. I selected yes, and I don't think it directed me to a webpage. It just began the install, and when I saw it started to install Chrome, I hit the cancel install button to prevent the installation. Today, I rebooted and got the notification screen and selected 'notify me later' to avoid the installation update. I tried rebooting a couple additional times to see if I could get the update screen back, but I didn't. (I don't know what triggers it again once I checked 'remind me later'. Maybe its a set number of days, but doesn't seem to be based on a reboot). If I can get a screenshot next time I will. I am guessing that's what many people on here experienced - or maybe if they have their update settings to automatic, it may have just done the install. If I go to 'check for updates' from the adobe icon in control panel, it directs me to the website with the 'install google chrome' checkbox.

I think to troubleshoot the issue, you have to see what happens with those options selected when the 'update is available' screen appears.

L

lemonskin2

New Participant

It's still happening, because it just happened to me. Well, it would have done, if I hadn't clicked on 'Cancel' in the nick of time. No option was given.

Windows Vista

IE 8

L

lemonskin2

New Participant

I am confused as to why this question has been marked as "answered". (green icon).

It may have many replies, but no one has to date solved the problem, so, to my mind, it has not been answered.

A

Anonymous

This is still happening.

No options given just installs Google Toolbar and Chrome without asking.

Most of the posters on this forum are tech savvy (they noticed the underhand install) and therefore know how to disable or uninstall these things.

However the vast majority of people will just get another add-on, taking up screen real estate and confusing them - believe me I've worked in IT Support.

Adobe protest that the install of Google Toolbar without any option is a software issue which they are unable to recreate.

Well it's been four months now. More than long enough to identify and rectify the issue.

Flash Player should just quietly update itself without installing other sofware.

This sort of stealthy installation annoys those that understand, confuses those that don't and damages the reputation of both Adobe and Google.

A

Andy_Bri

New Participant

This is bad enough on a single person basis, but becomes a major issue for company IT support. I am constantly getting calls from people unable to open links in Outlook. This is happening because Adobe Flash updates are installing Google Chrome. and once Chrome is installed and uninstalled links in Outlook no longer work. To repair it you have to go into the registry and make several changes to fix it.

I have had at least 50 people tell me that they were not given an option to not install Chrome. Whether this is correct ot not I am not sure. Perhaps they are just not noticing the check box, but regardless it is costing a lot of time and company money.

Google has been informed of this issue long ago and has not fixed the problem with Chrome. Therefore Adobe needs to stop this shady practice of sneaking (hardly noticable check marks or not) Chrome onto peoples computers during software updates. I realize Adobe needs to make money to continue to support their software, but this is causing a lot of headaches for IT staff like myself.

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Luc4800

Participating Frequently

I have 2 (IT) machines. One came preinstalled with Flash and in that case after reboot it 100% did not go to a web site. I'm 100% sure about that.

After it installed silently Chrome I noticed it also changed default .HTML registry key. See my earlier reply how to fix that again (in my case it broke also Visual Studio environment).

Maybe it's related to version or some other condition but regardless I think it's ridiculous to keep asking for Chrome for any bigger updates. How often do you have to say no?

chris.campbell

Community Manager

Please see this post for a video that describes the expected process when updating and it also includes screenshots to our Flash Player update dialog UI.

http://forums.adobe.com/message/4699783#4699783

We'd like to know how you are being notified to update. We've been unsuccessful in reproducing this problem and are curious if some other mechanism is causing an improper update to occur.

@andy bri - Check out the following post for details on how you can bypass these notifications in an enterprise environment. http://forums.adobe.com/message/4643470#4643470

J

jrumm39033

New Participant

Had exactly the same thing happen to me 20 minutes ago! Windows updated when I restarted my laptop, and there was the red dialogue box offering to update Flash. There were no boxes to uncheck. I clicked to update, my browser opened, and took me to a page that, again, had no boxes to uncheck. I was dumbfounded when the installation was underway, and I saw that Chrome was being installed. It was the first mention I had seen of Chrome!

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AdobeForcesGoogleOnUs

New Participant

Not only does Adobe force Google Chrome, and Google Toolbar on you. But Adobe also hijacks your system and makes Chrome your default browser (all this without asking... doesn't even give the option)

Yes, this is illegal. This kind of hijacking/bullying should be stopped! Adobe doesn't respect the rights of its users.

P.S. Not only does Adobe Flash Player do this, but also if you install Adobe Reader it also does this. Obviously Adobe is using this illegal tactic in more than one of its downloadable applications.

K

Kogarashikaze

Participating Frequently

If you'll note upthread, it's only some people who are getting hijacked like that, and apparently that's not how it's supposed to work. As I said before, when I tried it a second time, I got the correct download page that let me actually opt out of the Google installs. Also, Chrome being set as your default browser is part of the Chrome install itself, and you should bring up that gripe with Google. That's something you should be able to opt out of as well. While it's not my default browser, I do have Chrome on my computer as a secondary browser and I do recall having to tell it not to be my default browser back when I installed it.

Thing is, bundled toolbars and the like are nothing new. Lots of installs nowadays have toolbars and such bundled in. The complaint upthread is that some people's Flash Player installs were skipping the page that lets us opt out, which subsequently installs the extras by default.

As for Adobe not respecting the rights of its users, I think the very fact that Adobe staffers are participating in this discussion trying to help figure out what went wrong is showing a lot of respect.

B

bobd91

New Participant

After booting I got the information that there was a new version of flash so I chose to install, the URL it loaded in my browser was

https://get3.adobe.com/flashplayer/download/

?installer=Flash_Player_11_for_Internet_Explorer

&os=Windows 7

&browser_type=MSIE

&browser_dist=OEM

&dualoffer=true

&chromedefault=true

&type=au

&browser_vers=9

&a=Google_Toolbar_7.0

&a=Google_Chrome_20.0_IE_Browser

Could that explain why it tried to install the Google stuff?

I editted the URL, removing everything after browser_dist=OEM, and it installed fine with no unwanted Google bits.

pwillener

Braniac

I didn't install anything on your computer; you did!

And I cannot prevent you from not unchecking the clearly visible checkbox.

Nor from not using the offline installers, which links are posted at least a dozen times here every day.

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linksfiend2Author

New Participant

I used your official installer and there are NOT any "clearly visible checkbox"es. There are NO checkboxes at all. Don't imply I am an idjit without doing your own due diligence first. Clearly you did not investigate the installer.

chris.campbell

Community Manager

I'm not entirely sure what changed this time, but I followed your instructions, and this time I was directed to the proper download page after clicking "Download" in the installer box, with checkbox for Google Toolbar and Chrome. Unchecking those and clicking "Update Now," I was taken to the install page I'd seen the previous time:

This is where clicking "Download" took me when I updated the first time. As you can see, install directions, but no checkboxes.

I do appreciate the prompt response and directions to attempt to replicate the issue. I would guess that some updates are skipping the proper download page and going straight to here, and thus the end-users aren't getting the opportunity to uncheck the box. I'm not sure what would cause that, but I do know for a fact that I never saw the proper download page.

Thank you for trying those steps out. I'm going to meet with team members that worked on this change (both server side and with the Flash Player UI) to see what could be happening here. I'll let you know what I find out.

Thanks,

Chris

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