Software warning!

Named & Shamed

iTop VPN’s alarmist advert on IObit

Navigating IObit’s programs is like shopping at a supermarket while someone follows you sneakily chucking items into your trolley. Previously, I’ve been duped into downloading Advanced SystemCare thanks to a misdirection on IObit’s website, when I assumed I was getting IObit Uninstaller (see Issue 666). But what caught my eye recently was a new pop-up advert attempting to scare users into downloading iTop VPN.

I have no idea whether iTop VPN is any good. It’s not owned by IObit, so the company must feel comfortable being associated with its advertising. But the advert is one of the most misleading and alarmist I’ve ever seen.

Deviously, it presents itself as a ‘reminder from IObit’ ( 1in our screenshot) and claims ‘Your IP is exposed’ 2leaving your ‘online accounts and personal info’ unprotected. The solution to this – presumably – is to install iTop VPN, even though I was actually running a VPN at the time, which was doing a fine job disguising my IP address.

“Stop moaning and just close the ad,” you might say. But how to close it? It took me an age to spot the small grey ‘X’ at the top right. One IObit user on Reddit also had this problem, and helpfully highlighted the ‘X’ on their screenshot 3(though I doubt you’ll see this on the printed page).

Another user mentioned that the ‘X’ appears clearly in light mode, but IObit Uninstaller comes in dark mode by default. Call us cynical, but surely the advert’s designer knew this.

They must also have known that placing the advert at the bottom-right of your screen would make users think it was an important notification from Microsoft. It’s a classic trick that probably caught out many people.

This rotten advert did at least have one positive outcome: it reminded me I still had IObit Uninstaller on my PC. Thirty seconds later it was gone.

This ‘reminder’ from IObit is actually a devious and alarmist advert from iTop VPN