WTF? Yikes, I was just going to modify my security settings in IE, when I found this. Why on earth I would want to give anything at AOL trusted status, I don't know. The default IE settings allow trusted sites to download and run ActiveX controls, without prompting, among other things that would make you really want to trust sites in your trusted sites list. (Free.aol.com, by the way, is a site for signing up for AOL.) I'm positive I didn't do this manually. So how'd it get there? AIM or Netscape 6.2, both recently installed, are the only logical possibilities I can think of.

Update: Here's an InformationWeek article about this: "It's true. Without so much as a by-your-leave, AOL software inserts 'free.aol.com' into your IE browser's 'Trusted Zone.' Talk about an aggressive installation routine! .... By automatically placing its own site in the Trusted Zone, AOL creates a double security threat. If you (or your users) download and install Netscape 6.x, AIM, or any product with integrated AIM, not only do you have to cope with the inherent problems of an IM client itself, but you'll also have AOL set up as trusted site. That can bypass the browser security settings you've established for normal Internet connections." (Thanks for the pointer, MAS.)