Owned by SuperWeb, Deal Keeper is a browser add-on claiming to improve the users’ browsing experience. It is, however, categorized as a potentially unwanted program (PUP) and adware, and experts recommend its removal.
How Does Deal Keeper Affect Your System?
As with most browser add-ons, Deal Keeper is compatible with the most commonly used browsers – Google Chrome, Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox. Reportedly, however, Deal Keeper does not work with the latest version of Google Chrome.
The main purpose of the browser add-on is to maximize your experience while surfing the Web. And while that is a great feature, Deal Keeper may become quite annoying. Once installed, it may start displaying pop-up advertisements and disturb your browsing habits.
In addition, it could start tracking your online behavior, collect that information and possibly share it with third parties. And, this is a good reason to doubt its pure intentions.
How Does Deal Keeper Infiltrate Your PC?
SuperWeb, the company that owns Deal Keeper, is quite popular with other similar programs such as Fortunitas, Web Flipper, GoingGo, and more among malware specialists. The common feature among all of them is that they all have their own websites, but are also distributed via freeware such as browser extensions, media players, etc.
If you have not intentionally installed Deal Keeper on your PC, it can still enter it via another free program you have downloaded. As a typical adware, Deal Keeper uses the so-called “bundling” method where it attaches itself to a particular freeware (such as trial versions of programs, media players, etc.). While installing that freeware, you are provided with information about Deal Keeper and are given the option to decline the bundling.
That is why it’s extremely important that you always watch the installation process of anything you download closely. If you miss to opt manually out of such a deal, you expose your system to any threat from the Web.
Should You Remove Deal Keeper?
The Deal Keeper may not be harmful to your system by itself. It will display annoying banners and ads, but it will not cause an actual damage. The problem, however, is that it makes your PC vulnerable against outer threats. For example, if you click on any of the pop-ups, it may redirect you to unsafe and potentially infected websites that may then introduce a virus to your system. In addition, it monitors your browsing activities and may manipulate the search results.
Deal Keeper may also collect your personal data (such as your IP address, computer system, operating system, browsing activities, etc.), which may then fall into the hands of advertising agencies. They, on the other hand, could spam you with even more personalized ads exposing your PC to even more potentially infected websites.
What’s more, Deal Keeper have secured themselves with their Privacy Policy stating that “various types of individual user information is collected, stored, shared with other parties, supplemented, used and sold for business and marketing purposes.”
So, if you already have it, you have agreed to these conditions.
In order to break that vicious cycle of disturbing ads and avoid being exposed to any risks from the Web, you must remove Deal Keeper from your system. If you don’t have it yet, simply be alert whenever you download applications for free and avoid further hassles.