Symantec under fire

Symantec Shareholders Worried

Symantec shareholders are increasingly worried about the growing likelihood of multiple legal prosecutions and adverse publicity surrounding Symantec's Rulespace software.

Concerned shareholders who remain unaware of the impending problems should investigate the claims of thousands of internet users and webmasters who are currently gathering together to force Symantec to stop blocking websites and blogs simply because the Symantec management does not approve of their political content.

If these claims are true, this will be seen as a sinister development to people who are concerned about civil liberties, freedom of speech and internet censorship.

Worse, from Symantec's point of view, is that thousands of these sites have been categorised as "hate sites" by Symantec, but a close look at many of these sites clearly reveals that they are nothing of the sort.

One good example of this is the website ...

DV Men UK

... which is a site simply devoted to pointing out that men, as well as women, can experience domestic violence.

As a result of these serious misclassifications, webmasters and bloggers are gradually uniting and planning to sue Symantec for libel and defamation.

The costs of such suits for Symantec could run into millions of dollars; particularly since the management has been aware of these misclassifications for some considerable time - thus compounding the company's liability in law - but appears to have made no attempt to deal with them.

As such, shareholders might well have grounds to wonder if the company is much more concerned about the political leanings of its management and much less concerned about them.

More disturbing, perhaps, is that Symantec is being accused by some people of blocking web sites devoted to exposing child abuse. And the question is being asked, "Who is Symantec trying to protect? What is the company trying to hide?"

On a lighter note, the Fathers For Justice website was, until a few days ago, catagorised as a "Shopping" site.

Symantec is also likely to face intense lobbying in the UK following the revelation that, despite having made millions of pounds from its UK activities, it pays virtually no tax in the UK.

UK politicians, UK government departments and UK businesses are therefore coming under increasing attack for using Symantec products.

It is also seems likely that Symantec has been avoiding the payment of millions of tax dollars in America - where it is based.

Many people are now arguing that even if Symantec's tax avoidance measures are currently legal, American patriots should choose to use other products particularly given the current poor state of their own economy.

In January of 2012, James Gross filed a lawsuit against Symantec for distributing fake scareware scanners that purportedly, and fraudulently, proclaimed to have discovered malware issues with their computers. The solution proffered? Buy Symantec's Norton Security software.

To add even further to its woes, there has recently been the suggestion that Symantec is heavily blocking non-USA sites while allowing equivalent sites in the USA to pass through its filters.

Finally, as of June 2013, the widely respected Customer Service Scoreboard rated Symantec's customer service as "Disappointing"

All in all, therefore, it looks as if Symantec's shareholders might shortly be in for a bumpy ride as more and more questions arise over the competence and trustworthiness of its senior management.

Angry Harry