Quote - That is the LAMEST excuse I have heard yet. It's already been pointed out that you do NOT have to give accurate information to these sites to access their freebies. As long as you can remember the non-factual information you used to sign up with you can give any information you want to give. It's just so that you can recover your passwords if you loose it.

As has also been pointed out, you don't have to download their freebies at all if you're that paranoid!

One word:  www.bugmenot.com :)

@the OP: I only really mind the offsite links if they then bury the free item I'm after under 10 pages of pricey, low-quality junk.  Usually I give up and leave the site before I ever see the freebie I wanted.

But not always.  Here's a word of advice to off-site merchants:  If I'm shopping for my Poser items stockpile, I'm interested in pretty much anything that catches my eye (I'm a shopaholic, ok?).  I've been in a post-apocalyptic mood lately but tomorrow I could be doing something else.  3d models, poses, character meshes, clothing, doesn't matter - if you display it professionally using attractive renders with minimum postwork, I'm going to at least bookmark and come back.  Sometimes I even buy something from you that I hadn't intended to buy.

But if you throw up a website with your free copy of FrontPage, hide your links among tons of poorly-written English and don't provide convenient navigation buttons on every page, don't blame me if you're not selling anything.  My first assumption is going to be that your products are as crappy as your website.

Fair or not, half of marketing is in the packaging.   I don't mind the offsite links for freebies, but show me something when I take the trouble to click the link.