I don't know about flash - I disable it by default. Disabling it gets rid of both annoying moving advertisements and crap plugins...
I take this as a sign of a company entering a stage of decline. Successful companies on the rise do not need to use subterfuge to get deployment of their products. When a company starts to become hostile to its own customers you can tell the rot has set in. These days it is nearly impossible to download simple software without getting crapware along side it (Sun is another prime offender, and even Flash tries to shove toolbars down your throat.).