MacKeeper threatens to sue 14-year-old YouTuber

Mac utility suite has been linked to fraudulent ads in the past.

Mackeeper ad

The MacKeeper utility suite, which claims to help Mac users stop security threats, find duplicate files, and help you uninstall unwanted apps, doesn’t have the best reputation.

One reason is that many users in the past encountered it after being hit by over-aggressive “scare ads” that appeared designed to frighten consumers into installing the product.

Invariably, MacKeeper’s developers have pointed the finger of blame for the underhand tactics at affiliates. Claims have also been made that MacKeeper was turning a blind eye to what was happening in the product’s name.

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MacKeeperLast year, ZeoBIT – the creators of MacKeeper who sold the software to Kromtech in April 2013 – responded to a class action law-suit that claimed MacKeeper had been deceptively advertised and false claims about what it could fix by putting $2 million into a settlement fund.

The problem is this. You can settle the matter in the courts, but it doesn’t necessarily rebuild a broken brand. There are still plenty of folks who have a bad taste in their mouth when they hear the name “MacKeeper” – and not just because the company carelessly left millions of Mac users’ details exposed on the net.

I suspect 14-year-old Luqman Wadood might be one of those who isn’t a fan of MacKeeper.

As Apple Insider reports, MacKeeper has made legal threats against the teenage video maker unless he removes his critical videos from YouTube:

Infamous software developer MacKeeper has demanded that four videos critical of its maligned tune-up utility suite be removed from the internet, threatening the teenager behind the videos with $60,000 in court costs and legal fees.

Luqman Wadood, the creator of the video series, made a set of five videos, which he calls the “MacKeeper Sucks” and “MacKeeper is a scam” series. Since MacKeeper owner Kromtech’s legal threat, four videos in the set have been made private, with one video, called “Confronting MacKeeper” remaining viewable.

Here is a copy of the email that was sent to Luqman Wadood from Kromtech’s legal department:

Mackeeper legal

And Wadood’s response, which is – predictably – posted on his YouTube channel:

Gross. 14 year old gets sued by MacKeeper for $60000

I wonder if MacKeeper has ever heard of the Streisand effect?


Graham Cluley is an award-winning keynote speaker who has given presentations around the world about cybersecurity, hackers, and online privacy. A veteran of the computer security industry since the early 1990s, he wrote the first ever version of Dr Solomon's Anti-Virus Toolkit for Windows, makes regular media appearances, and is the co-host of the popular "Smashing Security" podcast. Follow him on Twitter, Mastodon, Threads, Bluesky, or drop him an email.

16 comments on “MacKeeper threatens to sue 14-year-old YouTuber”

  1. Thor

    I hope he let's them try take him to court. Getting one of these through in Norway is extremely difficult, especially considering he's merely stating facts.

  2. f*** mackeeper

    F*** Mackeeper. What a bunch of arseholes.

  3. Mike Mac Support Pro

    Mac Sophos AV reports it as malware and the app in general causes more issues than it clams to fix.

  4. John S

    When using my Apple laptop (now defunct) I almost got sucked by these cretins I even paid but when I realized who and what I was dealing with I threatened THEM with legal action and they refunded the money

  5. PhilLC1

    had similar poor experience with McKeeper and had come to the same conclusion; a bad product! Keep away from it!

  6. drevno

    you'll notice they say it cost $60,000 in court costs and legal fees, not in a settlement, that means they lost the lawsuit in court but the defendant still had to pay legal fees.

  7. Mac keeper truth

    Mac keeper is a scam. Period.

  8. tom senuta

    yup a bullshit scam I had the same problems took it off and havent had a problem since

  9. Bingo

    OMG I hate MacKeeper. Those damn ads pop up everywhere. I freaking hate them and hope the are sued out of business. What a scam. My best friend is a senior Apple engineer and says MacKeeper is useless and a scam.

  10. Todd S.

    MacKeeper is Malware, plain and simple.

  11. Andy

    Its against YouTube terms & conditions to download a video, he should report them to YouTube and submit that email to him as evidence.

  12. Michael

    They company AND MacKeeper are a joke anyway! Threatening to sue is laughable at best. Sorry but I have to get out my vinyl cutter and create a tailgate sticker against them!

  13. Bill

    So they downloaded his videos… isn't that about the same as anyone else downloading music files? I'd look into a counter suit.

  14. Robredz

    As he is a minor, he couldn't be sued in the UK at least as under 18's cannot be sued or taken to a civil court.. Don't know if he could in the USA,.

  15. prh99

    Clearly someone hasn't heard of the Streisand effect. Intimating a 14 y/o kid with legal threats over some videos, that will end well. Now they can add legal bully to the list of bad things associated with them. Lol

  16. dammit

    i had mac keeper and it sucks now i have clean my mac and my mac peerrsss like a kitten dont wast your money on mac keeper shity program

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