The idea in these categorizations is to identify sites contributing to the badware problem, either intentionally or through scandalously inadequate hosting practices, while allowing sites that aggregate third party links and programs not to be unduly blamed when some bad links or software gets through a decently-designed net.

I. In General

A website is a badware website if it hosts or distributes badware and doesn’t meet one of the exceptions described in Section II. This includes, but is not limited to, websites that do any of the following:

• Host or distribute badware directly on their site;
• Automatically redirect to a website that hosts or distributes badware;
• Link to executable files that are badware, whether hosted on their site or another site;
• Link to another website that automatically attempts to install badware by exploit onto the user’s computer;
• Cause the browser to automatically load code from another site that then attempts to install badware on the user’s computer;
• Contain substantial links (either in nature or number) to other website(s) that predominantly host or distribute badware.

II. Exceptions

Exceptions to the above website guidelines include, but are not limited to:

• Download repositories that have a demonstrated practice of detecting and removing badware entries;
• Sites or pages engaged in legitimate, non-profit badware research or education;
• Indexing sites that are automated and comprehensive.