Skype has had an interesting month so far. First the VoIP-based Internet phone service was acquired by Microsoft for $8.5 billion in cash. More recently the service suffered through an outage that kept some of its many customers from using its features. Now Engadget reports that a number of Skype users are protesting the discovery of a new program that seems to be difficult to uninstall.
The program in question is called EasyBits GO which some Skype users have complained on the company"s official forums is installing itself without asking prior permission from Skype users. Engadget reports that EasyBits as a company has been in charge of Skype"s game channel for the past five years but until now the company has never offered stand alone software for Skype users. Apparently EasyBits" reps have tried to answer some of Skype"s user comments about EasyBits Go in the forums but they have also given people a link to an .exe file. While the EasyBits reps claim this file will remove EasyBits GO from users" PCs, this obviously has led to a lot of suspicion from Skype owners who don"t want to risk opening up any .exe file, no matter how well intentioned. So far a post on the Skype forum by a forum admin has only said that the company is looking into the matter and will give out an official statement later.
Meanwhile Mac owners of Skype can now download a new hotfix that should deal with the outages that happened earlier this week. The Windows update has already been released.
Update - The Skype web site has admitted that the EasyBits Go software "included elements of their desktop games organizer in error, but it neither installs nor un-installs correctly". The program has now been disabled "while we work with them to correct the problems and user experience."