Microsoft announces harder stance against programs with coercive messaging

Quick, our trustworthy program found issues that you need to address right now. Look, you have malware on your system which you need to remove asap. All you have to do is buy the premium version of our program or this add-on service to address these issues.

Maybe you encountered programs of the kind before, or helped friends, family or colleagues remove these programs after the fact from their systems.

Fake programs use coercive messaging to get users to purchase premium versions or additional services by using exaggerated reporting, giving users limited time to react, or by suggesting that the program is the only solution for the described issues.

Unwanted programs: coercive messaging

Microsoft's Windows Defender Antivirus solution and other Microsoft security products will classify programs with coercive messaging as unwanted software starting March 1, 2018.

Microsoft updated the software evaluation criteria for malware and unwanted software recently to reflect the change.

Unwanted behaviors: coercive messaging

Programs must not display alarming or coercive messages or misleading content to pressure you into paying for additional services or performing superfluous actions.

Software that coerces users may display the following characteristics, among others:

Reports errors in an exaggerated or alarming manner about the user’s system and requires the user to pay for fixing the errors or issues monetarily or by performing other actions such as taking a survey, downloading a file, signing up for a newsletter, etc.
Suggests that no other actions will correct the reported errors or issues
Requires the user to act within a limited period of time to get the purported issue resolved

Microsoft classified other behavior as unwanted in the past. This includes programs that make "exaggerated claims about the system's health," "make misleading or inaccurate claims about files, Registry entires, or other items on the system," or "decrease computer reliability".

Programs classified as unwanted software may be blocked from being downloaded to the system or installed. Microsoft mentioned furthermore that unwanted software would be removed automatically from Windows systems if detected.

Software developers and companies are asked to validate their applications on the Windows Defender Security Intelligence portal. Windows users and administrators may report programs with unwanted behavior -- be it through coercive messaging or other means -- to Microsoft for evaluation.

Closing Words

It is time that Microsoft puts an end to this practice. While some users may dislike the fact that Microsoft will remove these programs automatically if installed already on user systems, it is probably fair to assume that most users will find this helpful especially if you consider that these programs are snake oil at best. (via Deskmodder and Dr.Windows)