Software Distribution

It has been common practice for a long time for software manufacturers to offer their products together with additional components, such as browser extensions or pre-installed settings. This is a way for program developers to finance their projects with the money they receive from the authors of extensions, while the authors of extensions benefit from co-distribution opportunities.
How a program or an extension is installed on the user’s computer and what happens after the installation largely depends on the manufacturer. Sometimes, the consequences are quite unexpected. To ensure a smooth and safe user experience for their products, software manufacturers can choose to develop the standards of manufacturing and distribution.
These are the principles developed and followed by Yandex.

Installation

The user should be clearly informed about what they are about to install. This information should be available directly on the first screen. The user should be able to view all components or settings offered in the setup package before installation. They should have an opportunity to opt out of some components of the setup or cancel the installation. If the installation is conditional to the user’s accepting a license agreement, they should have an opportunity to read it.
Some software products feature manufacturer’s digital signature, which, as a rule, is displayed during installation by the operating system. All Yandex products have a digital signature. This isn’t just being polite, this is a confirmation that we take responsibility for our software’s behaviour.

Operation

Distributed software can complement or extend the functionality of the programs already installed on the user’s computer – browsers, for instance – only if it does not hamper their performance.
Processing user data is an intrinsic part of some programs or web services. Yandex’s automated translation service, for instance, sends the user’s text to the company’s servers, as this is where translation takes place.
If distributed software utilizes the user’s data in any way, this procedure should comply with a well-defined privacy policy that describes what kind of information is being collected and how it is used. Yandex’s Privacy policy is available at http://legal.yandex.com/confidential/.

Uninstalling

The user should be able to uninstall any program using standard methods. For example, add-ons can be uninstalled from Internet Explorer in Programs and Features in Windows Control Panel, from Firefox and Chrome – in browser settings. Uninstalling software from a computer or mobile device shouldn’t affect its performance.

Partners

Yandex partners directly with software developers or authorized distributors. The programs, with which the Yandex products are co-distributed, should be of real value to the user, and not just a distribution vehicle.
 
We expect our partners to follow these principles. Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case.
If the violation of our principles is caused by an error, we do our best to fix it as soon as possible. If the violation is deliberate, we do all we can to stop it and make sure it never happens again, even if we have to break our partnership.
Please tell us about any violation of these distribution principles by emailing us at distribution@yandex-team.ru. You can also use this address to send your suggestions.