If you were one of those who purchased a license for the highly criticized “security software” product MacKeeper, you’ll be glad to know that the original developers of the title have agreed to a $2 million settlement in a class action lawsuit over deceptive claims and false advertising for the software package.
Under the proposed settlement, ZeoBIT, creators of MacKeeper that later sold the software to German firm Kromtech, will put up to $2 million in a fund to cover attorney fees, refunds and administrative costs, reports MacWorld. One-third is earmarked for lawyers, with a large chunk of the remainder to be meted out equally among claimants who purchased MacKeeper prior to July 8.
There are a total of around 513,000 U.S. customers eligible for the settlement, some of which paid as much as $39.95 for a license of the much-maligned software package. The amount of the refund will depend on how many of those eligible file to recoup their costs, so a full refund is not guaranteed.
As is usual for settlements such as this one, the company admits no fault as part of the settlement’s terms. And as is also the norm for cases like this, one-third of the $2 million will go towards attorney fees, leaving the remainder for refunds and other administration costs.
MacKeeper was well known for aggressively advertising its software via online ads, using scare tactics to convince users to purchase the app. MacKeeper’s new parent firm, Kromtech, is said to be abandoning such morally questionable tactics, cutting down on the “scare ads.”
As well as being much maligned for the scare tactics, the software’s actual value as a security and performance program has also been questioned, with tests reportedly showing the app returns false positives in system scans.
If you are eligible for compensation from the class action settlement, you’ll need to visit the settlement website and submit a claim by the November 30 deadline.
