The Spyware Inferno 437
An anonymous reader writes "Ever thought there should be a scale for quantifying the evil Spyware does? In an editorial article at news.com.com, a Silicon Valley Venture Capitalist uses the levels of hell in Dante's Inferno to do just that. The article also goes into depth on how vendors, and Claria in particular, make money - of particular interest, 31% of Claria's revenue came through Overture. This may explain why Yahoo took so long to list Claria as Adware in its anti-spyware toolbar."
Remember Kids... (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Remember Kids... (Score:5, Insightful)
.. is apparently a good way to make cash.
I think people should be forced to take classes or seminars before using the Internet, teaching them how *not* to be fooled to install adware and spyware. They should also be told not to use Internet Explorer.
Of course, with this seminar, everyone would get a free software CD with Claria included.
Re:Remember Kids... (Score:3, Insightful)
Sure, we'll hold them at gunpoint and educate the bastards! (What exactly do you think the word "force" means?)
And we'll make the taxpayers fund it all, whether they like it or not! ("Force" implies government, and we all know how government gets its revenue.)
But hell, if you're in power, what do you have to lose?
... which should be on the FRONT PAGE! (Score:5, Funny)
Re:... which should be on the FRONT PAGE! (Score:5, Funny)
Re:... which should be on the FRONT PAGE! (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Remember Kids... (Score:3, Interesting)
Hmmm?
Re:Remember Kids... (Score:5, Interesting)
None of this crap targets Macs, or Mac browsers, so it's entirely possible that they haven't even noticed how much of a problem it is, or ever heard of the company.
The only reason I ever notice spyware is when I have to clean it out of yet another luser's system.
Spyware Schmyware. I use Firefox on OS X.
Problem solved.
Re:Remember Kids... (Score:3, Insightful)
How in gods name was the parent modded interesting when its perfectly obvious why Apple doesn't sue, there's nothing to sue over.
Recovering from Spyware. (Score:5, Informative)
My current recommended free antivirus is Avast! Home Edition [avast.com] [avast.com], which is very low maintenance for the home user, and requires registration for the free license. It also protect a number of common Instant Messenger clients, as well as several common P2P clients. It is better than AVG in my opinion, and detects many trojans as well as spyware.
You can get a system that is so hosed that it will not boot, not even into safe mode, even under XP. The solution there to remove the hard drive, drop it into an external drive enclosure, and hook it up to another system where you can use scanning software to do a basic clean so you can boot in the original configuration. Once it boots you can install cleaners from safe mode, and then run cleaners from inside every user account. Note that you still need to run the clean from inside each user account because otherwise things will hide in the seperate user folders.
Re: the LSP chain break -- HijackThis can sometimes fix it. Otherwise, Spybot can fix it. Xblock will also fix it. [xblock is an excellent first pass cleaner, with a freeware version available). (Spybot second, AdAware third)I always use more than one scanner, and scan multiple times.] Immunisers such as SpywareBlaster are also nice. All of these packages are mentioned at spywareinfo.com [spywareinfo.com], which sometimes goes under due to DDOS problems from people who do not like the services they provide. (insert obligatory plug for someone to help them out, one way or another.)
Re:Recovering from Spyware. (Score:4, Informative)
Nathan
Re:Recovering from Spyware. (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Remember Kids... (Score:4, Informative)
Her: "CMESYS."
Me: "Uncheck that, it's spyware."
Her: "Isn't that Gator?"
Me: "Umm... yes."
Her: "Oh, I pay for that, I don't want that removed. It fills in my passwords for me!"
Apparently she paid $30 / yr. for the "service" that the Gator eWallet was providing. She had called them (and in hindsight I should have asked for the number) before and they assured her that the paid version doesn't come with their normal great advertising code. I was considering banning her from the internet, but I would have been fired.
Don't touch that Gator! - Claria's going *public* (Score:4, Insightful)
Where do you draw the line? (Score:5, Insightful)
Sweet sweet kickbacks to Yahoo, that's what.
Comment removed (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Where do you draw the line? (Score:5, Insightful)
Disclosure really doesn't matter when "NiftyFreeWebApp" buries the fact that it requires the sacrifice of your firstborn on page 972 of a EULA written in obfuscated legalese.
Re:Where do you draw the line? (Score:3, Informative)
Addendum: Mentioning spyware in the "license" does not constitute meaningful disclosure.
Schwab
Re:Where do you draw the line? (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Where do you draw the line? (Score:5, Insightful)
But if someone is hawking something like EUniverse or Claria, then they're not going to be upfront and forthcoming about it, because their service isn't valuable enough. Opera is (or was; Firefox is gaining ground) a nice enough browser that I'm willing to put up with some ads, so I accept the EULA precisely because they're upfront about being ad-supported.
In contrast, no one would ever install a 404-redirect program if they knew what it would do up front. Instead, somewhere in the EULA is a paragraph explaining in euphemism a mile deep that the app hijacks your browser.
I'm not anti-ad-supported software; I think it allows some outstanding software to get into the world for free. (Obviously I'd prefer they GPL'd Opera, but I'll take what I can get.) I'm saying that forcing disclosure is basically masturbatory.
Re:Where do you draw the line? (Score:4, Interesting)
One way we have prevented our Mom and Dad's from installing this stuff it to give them explicit instructions...now mom, everyday, you use this limited account and when you need to install something, either call me or use this Administrator sign on but DO NOT use this signon for anything but installing applications. Do not browse with it. This seemed to cure my little bro in law from having to go help his mom get rid of a virus or spyware. He also has scanners for virus and spyware installed as well and since he has to go pick his son up there every once in a while, he will do a sweep which is short instead of 3-4 hours removing spyware and viruses. Until most users adapt a UNIX like way of using their Windows machines, they will not be able to combat crap like Claria. If it starts to not work, then Claria will ahve to find another way to stay in business. Being vigilant in this battle will help us win...but being stupid and clicking OK whenever you see it WITHOUT READING THE BOX will kill you.
Re:Where do you draw the line? (Score:3, Funny)
Never
What about your grandma?
No, I haven't read her in full either.
Re:Where do you draw the line? (Score:4, Insightful)
An EULA is no different.
Whether unreasonable stuff in an EULA is enforceable is a different question. Here in the UK, our various national and EU consumer protection laws mean it's probably not. I've no idea what the answer is in the US, but it probably varies State to State.
Re:Where do you draw the line? (Score:4, Insightful)
I generally do read terms, contracts, etc. I read the T&C when buying a Dell laptop and then made them take it back when there was a single dead pixel. The T&C didn't say that 4 or so stuck pixels were required for a display to be considered faulty (as their support were claiming), so I was able to argue that it was not good enough.
Know the Terms/Contracts you've signed and be persistent -- do both of these things and you're one step closer to not being totally screwed by every service you use or product you buy.
Re:Where do you draw the line? (Score:4, Insightful)
I cannot see a judge holding up an EULA that you only got to read _after_ the purchase. I don't think any of those EULA would be enforceable.
Re:Where do you draw the line? (Score:3, Interesting)
As for software, I can see the "two separate" contracts, and of course that is not a problem, the problem is that
Re:Where do you draw the line? (Score:5, Insightful)
Spyware tends to work out what your doing tells it's servers that and then optionally feeds you with replacement adverts or popups, so youre looking at a shop which sells trading cards and an advert pops up for another store which claims lower prices say.
But then more and more advert supported software is going back to plain old demo/shareware/timebomb arangements (case in point getright).
Rise of Black Marketing (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Where do you draw the line? (Score:3, Interesting)
Kazaa is adware because it displays its ads while you use Internet Explorer. Pop-up adware often makes it difficult for users to tell what application the ads sponsor, which IMO is the point at which it becomes evil. I don't know whether Kazaa's ads say "This ad is shown using Claria technology to sponsor your use of Kazaa. To stop seeing these ads, uninstall Kazaa". I'm not going to install Kazaa to find out.
Cliche (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Cliche (Score:4, Insightful)
The URI in your
Cheers,
E
Re:Cliche (Score:3, Informative)
The URI in my .sig is not a pyramid scam, but it is a marketing thing. If you're not interested, don't go there. This is very offtopic, but for anyone who wants to know what it is without clicking in my sig, it's a marketing company who gives rewards for getting other people to try out the services of their clients. It's not a scam, as it doesn't require you to put any money into it, and you're not getting paid off by other people. Marketing companies pay money for customer acquisition, and this marketi
Re:Cliche (Score:3, Interesting)
Did your friends...?
Re:Cliche (Score:4, Insightful)
well, actually, they don't even need to be profitable. it just needs to APPEAR profitable for some people to try it, which will fuel other people into trying it because 'it must work since someone is doing it'.
true, mega corps like claria are on a bit different level but anyways..
Re:Cliche (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Cliche (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Cliche (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Cliche (Score:3, Interesting)
What about something along the lines of feeding fake data back - I remember to have read an article/comment on that, but cannot remember how I found it & not in the mood to look for it again.
The key point is/was to boost processing cost on the noise side.
CC.
dante (Score:4, Interesting)
I stongly recommend reading N. Tosche's "in the hand of dante" as a circuitous but gratifying way to learn about the author and the divine comedy.
plus it's a terrific read.
Re:dante (Score:3, Informative)
So... (Score:5, Funny)
lol... (Score:5, Funny)
but...down to business
All right...who told her we would actually get off our asses and burn someone at the stake?
No... (Score:5, Interesting)
Thanks to spyware, I am still make a living.
Re:No... (Score:5, Funny)
Well, at least I can see why you didn't become a writer.
Re:No... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:No... (Score:4, Insightful)
"If you're not a part of the solution, there's good money to be made by prolonging the problem."
Re:No... (Score:3, Interesting)
Prepare for slashdotting and death threats... (Score:4, Funny)
IDS's (Score:5, Informative)
Black hole them (Score:5, Interesting)
It's not just the shady companies (Score:5, Insightful)
I don't say they're delivering ads or sending back personally identifiable info to their manufacturers, but they are using my resources without giving me what I consider to be any perceptible advantage.
If we're going to legislate spyware, these user agents need to be considered and the law needs to require Apple and Real to provide better notice of them and make them easier to shut down permanently.
- Greg
Re:It's not just the shady companies (Score:5, Informative)
1) Find qttask.exe
2) Rename or delete.
Disable Real's SmartCenter by right-clicking on the real icon in your system tray (bottom right hand corner of the Windows screen) and select Disable Smartcenter.
Hardly "digging".
Re:It's not just the shady companies (Score:5, Informative)
One little utility I find helpful is Mike Lin's StartupMonitor. [mlin.net] It hollers at you whenever something (AIM, Real, Quicktime, etc.) attempts to register an executable to run at startup, and allows you to approve (or more to the point, deny) the attempt. Useful and educational!
Re:It's not just the shady companies (Score:3, Informative)
Re:It's not just the shady companies (Score:3, Insightful)
Aaaand as you probably know, TSRs are real-mode DOS giblets that wouldn't run under NT and NT-derived Windows in any case.
Thus the amusement. But we knew what he meant, no need to beat him up, eh?
Re:Geez, talk about picky... (Score:4, Interesting)
Well I admit I was being a wanker, but we didn't exactly invent multitasking so much later, it was being done in the age of DOS too. In fact a lot of the stuff that DOS does is a Unix ripoff, like redirection and pipes, and many of the commands. Of course it doesn't do it as well as Unix, but who expects it to? We certainly have brought Multitasking more to the consumer level, though. However, the first Amiga was released in 1985 and I should not need to tell you that its multitasking abilities are not equalled by any version of Windows until Windows 95. (Its other abilities are still not equalled by Windows in some ways, and far surpassed in others, but we won't go there.)
Also, GEOS was released for the C= 64 in 1986 and had pretty credible multitasking abilities, at least the equal (heh) of Windows 3.0, which didn't come out until 1990 - interestingly the same time at which GEOS came out for the PC. It's quite a shame that Windows triumphed over the far-technically-superior GEOS... Your numbers are spot on if you only consider PCs though, since QDOS is from 1980. If that's what you meant, ignore my sideways rant.
DOS sucked, though it is okay for doing one thing at a time. TSRs regularly stepped on one another and in general were a big pain in the ass. As much as you could get done with MARK and REL back in the day, I'm glad that time is over.
TSR?? makes sense (Score:5, Funny)
From everything2.com:
So TSRs are sterilized vermin with teeth but no balls. Sounds about right.
Re:TSR?? makes sense (Score:3, Funny)
Re:It's not just the shady companies (Score:3, Informative)
Re:It's not just the shady companies (Score:5, Interesting)
Rio Music Manager has one, too, and the reason we put it there is because there are certain things that Rio Music Manager needs to do (such as send custom USB commands to portables) which can't be done by an unprivileged user under Windows. So at install time -- assuming it's installed by an administrator -- the service gets run with admin privileges, and then later, when unprivileged Rio Music Manager runs, it can send custom USB commands via the service.
On Linux it's probably just "chmod 660
Peter
Re:It's not just the shady companies (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:It's not just the shady companies (Score:5, Informative)
In Quicktime preferences: uncheck "Quick Time system tray icon" and it will never come back.
I haven't messed with Real player in a long time, but I recall a similar option being available if you right-click the tray icon, possibly in a preference panel.
I'm sorry it's so easy.
Re:It's not just the shady companies (Score:3, Informative)
I'm tempted to just remove all the permissions on the run key so nothing can put itself there.
Re:It's not just the shady companies (Score:3, Informative)
QT agent runs when Windows boots, but shuts down quickly if the option is disabled.
Only WinAmp actually disables the agent from starting at all -- well done Winamp!
Re:It's not just the shady companies (Score:5, Informative)
Set NTFS rights to the file to DENY for yourself or some subgroup. Deny rights take precedence.
For executables, setup a software restriction policy, (start, run, secpol.msc) that disables based on the path. Just enter the exe name or it has a nice handy browse button, but the path also accepts wildcards and environment variables. (Don't tell your netword administrator this, but putting %logonserver% in here prevents those annoying domain logon scripts.)
Re:It's not just the shady companies (Score:3, Informative)
Here's a complementary tip which will work on FAT32, all versions of Windows, and most other operating systems. If an application keeps creating a file or directory you don't want it to, delete the offending file or directory, create a new one with the same name, and set its read-only attribute. On most unices, chmod 000 will do just fine; on Windows just right-click and get the properties; on a Mac (including OS
Re:It's not just the shady companies (Score:3, Informative)
I hate real'
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Easy trick (Score:3, Insightful)
Go start>run>msconfig.exe, then to the startup tab - you can disable anything you want that is set to start up automatically.
EXCEPT most spyware and malware
Helpful tools (Score:5, Informative)
If you happen to run an OS where these aren't supported (everything but win*) just ignore this post
Re:Helpful tools (Score:3, Funny)
You just made my Bonzibuddy all cross now, you horrible thing...
Re:Helpful tools (Score:5, Funny)
I don't mind Bonzibuddy so much, but we keep getting these funky storage cabinets from someplace called www.martianbuddy.com. [martianbuddy.com]
And what's worse is all the SPAM we keep getting from them too...
How on Mars are we supposed to finish our teleporation chambers if all our email is filled with SPAM from those guys?
Re:Helpful tools (Score:4, Interesting)
I have never owned a mac in my life, I have only worked on them from time to time at school, and I'm probably not going to ever own a mac unless i really start making the big bucks and can afford a disposable system, and even then i could probably only justify it for its graphics and video capabilities.
I suggested that he get a mac because I didnt want to be the guy he called when his PC got the latest crapware. I told him that from what ive read (/.) macs are great for people that want simple computers that just work. he got a ipowermacbookintosh. This morning before I left for work he thanked me and said how wonderful it was. I got in around 9 only to find 3 emails from staff infected with the latest purplemonkeytoolbarweathertellingcrap.
Moral for the story: as a geek I can keep my windows box clean, and even not being a mac fan boy i can say that apple is right on when they say "computers for the rest of us".
PS: When macs get 90% market share I'll suggest he gets windows because nobody writes crapware for it. Oh, yeah, this is slash, um, 2005 is going to be the year of linux on the desktop.
--Aard
But the important question remains... (Score:3, Funny)
Re:But the important question remains... (Score:3, Funny)
Kill their Revenue Stream (Score:5, Interesting)
Yahoo took long enough, but they finally did.
What users need to do is continue to keep writing in and boycotting companies that use spyware affiliated services until they stop supporting them. Overture be damned, it's still ultimately a spyware thing. After all, it's just another way to collect information and track users. When Doubleclick decided to combine all the information... I'm sure you Slashdotters remember the response it got. Privacy is a big issue and until more companies in the playing field like Yahoo get the idea... it's going to continue being a problem.
Spyware is certainly more aggressive at this point, but ever since I installed Adaware and started using more of the extensions available for Mozilla/FireFox, it hasn't been something I've even remotely come across... unless I'm helping to clean up a friend or client's oversaturated box. I'm just wondering at this point why some of these spyware apps haven't been classified as viruses yet... they certainly act in a very similar manner: Installing without knowledge, announcement or permission... phoning home without knowledge, announcement or permission. Spreading without... ah, fook it, you get the idea. I'm just preaching to the chior here. A lot more questions than answers despite knowing exactly what is going on here. This is exactly why we shouldn't be supporting services that are running legitimately despite having that slight (or underhanded) spyware connection.
Makes Open Source More Attractive (Score:4, Insightful)
They're hiring! (Score:3, Funny)
http://www.claria.com/companyinfo/careers/
"Associate General Counsel - Litigation
Redwood City, CA
The successful candidate must have the skills and experience necessary to assist the General Counsel in managing complex litigation involving IP law, advertising, technology, and the Internet. You will execute an agreed-upon strategy by, for example, independently managing discovery efforts, directing depositions, outlining and reviewing briefs and oral arguments, assist in preparing for trials, and generally providing overall guidance to, and closely working with, outside counsel.
Requirements include: Leading law school, member of the California State Bar, and at least 6 years of relevant litigation experience in a nationally recognized law firm and/or an in-house legal department; Demonstrated ability and successful history of managing large scale litigation including large discovery efforts; Demonstrated familiarity working with technology and/or Internet companies and with IP law; Ability to formulate successful, complex pre-litigation and litigation strategy; Ability to operate independently, effectively and in a professional manner in various project and cross-functional team settings, and with various external contacts; Excellent organizational, project management, communication and interpersonal skills."
Re:They're hiring! (Score:4, Funny)
Apparently the left out the part about "must have absolutely no soul or common decency".
Wait, it says "at least 6 years of relevant litigation experience in a nationally recognized law firm and/or an in-house legal department" - I suppose that's essentially saying the same thing.
Re:They're hiring! (Score:3, Funny)
Does the Internet Need a DoD/police Force? (Score:4, Interesting)
I wonder when the users of the internet will form their own supranational government, with a defense force and coordinated policing actvities. Taxation might be in the form of CPU cycles & bandwidth used by policing actions to DDoS convicted spammers/phishers/spyware providers.
Separating Linux users from Windows users (Score:3, Insightful)
I personally cannot imagine having spyware on my machine, and I similarly cannot imagine any Linux user tolerating it. Most Linux users chose it, in large part, because of the control it gives you over everything that your computer does. Having your computer hijacked by advertisers is antithetical to that concept.
But I watch Windows users tolerate truly mindboggling amounts of adware/spamware/malware. The typical windows users tolerate 100 times what I would consider completely unacceptable.
I know it's elitist to say this, but what happens is that Windows users will make the tradeoff of malware to allow them to steal music and other content. They don't protest, because deep down they know what they're doing is wrong.
Linux users, typically, have no such guilt and therefore don't tolerate that kind of intrusion onto their computer.
Thad
Re:Separating Linux users from Windows users (Score:5, Insightful)
Not really.
Being both a Linux user and a Windows user, I don't tolerate any kind of adware or spyware either.
The typical windows user:
* Does not understand that AdWare/Spyware/Malware is acutally on thier computer
* Does not understand how AdWare/Spyware/Malware gets on thier computer in the first place.
* When they realize it's on thier computer, they will often belive it's nessecary for software to function. (I tried cleaning up my sister-in-laws Win98 PC, and she immediately blamed me for screwing it up the first time something didn't work the same way -- that's the only real anecdote I have, as I stay the bloody hell away from that kind of job).
* Assuming they realize that it's on thier computer, and they realize they don't have to live with it, then they can get rid of it. Once. But being able to get rid of it by getting a friend to install AdAware and Spybot S&D in no way affects thier ability to detect it on thier computer, or realize that something might be installing it.
Comparing Windows to Linux in this regard is just ignorant. There are is basically no Malware/Spyware programs on linux (I know there's some Adware out there, but I can't imagine it being terribly successful). And Linux users as a whole are self-selecting in this regard, and are used to having to live without software that they'd like to use.
That, and there are several pieces of very popular Adware (MSN Messenger for example) that are sufficiently useful to outweigh the cons of it being Adware.
So, really, the windows users who put up with this garbage simply because they don't know any better and trust the companies when they claim this garbage is nessecary, or that they choose to put up with the Adware to use a program that they want to use.
I also find it ironic that you're saying piracy is a tradeoff for running adware, when any person who is going to pirate things won't think anything of cracking adware to get rid of ads...
BTW, if you think Linux users don't pirate media, you're on fucking crack
Re:Separating Linux users from Windows users (Score:5, Insightful)
I can't believe something a post as stupid as the parent's gets modded up, even for a few minutes.
Windows users don't allow spamware because they're guilty about piracy. Most of the users I've seen with large amounts of spyware wouldn't even download a free MP3; the only thing they download is their email or the latest forum page refresh, off AOL. They get spyware because of cluelessness about computers, not guilt.
The 15-year-olds who install spyware-filled filesharing programs don't feel guilty either; they use them for the same reason they use Internet Explorer. They don't know any better program, and their friends all use the same thing.
On the other hand, the savvy Linux copyright violator (not thief; copyright violation is not theft according to the law) will just use Mutella to share his MP3s, which has no weird restrictions and runs on the command line if so desired.
My Spyware Experience (Score:5, Informative)
-Run AdAware and Spybot Search and Destroy (get latest updates!)
-Run CWS Shredder
-Run HiJackThis and locate all curious entries and remove them
-Run msconfig.exe and clear all suspicious or even borderline suspicious entries from startup
-Check running processes for suspicious entries (doing this a lot makes you familiar with what is good and not good. Stuff like WhatsUp.exe -- usually bad. Or WJLHOWPDMNW.exe)
-Try to kill the processes, and then locate and delete those files. If you cannot delete them or end the processes, write them down and boot into safe mode to delete those files
-Finally, check Program Files for suspicious folders. That's where much of spyware hides. Apoint2K and and search bars and anything else are BAD!
Re:My Spyware Experience (Score:4, Informative)
It will even tell you what files/registry entries the process has open, and what DLLs it has loaded.
I've often seen spyware in a DLL that is open so can't be deleted. Sometimes they load themselves into explorer.exe.
Open process explorer, search for the DLL and it will tell you the processes that have it open.
Either kill the process, or force close the file handle (often nukes the process, but whatever...)
then delete the dll.
PDF document listing the 9 circles of spyware hell (Score:5, Insightful)
Anti spyware toolbar? (Score:4, Interesting)
Cold Cash (Score:3, Interesting)
Spybot S+D has REALTIME protection (Score:3, Insightful)
You will have essentially no spyware.
You must fight evil with another kind of evil* (Score:4, Insightful)
Given that:
- (MP|RI)AA hates P2P softare;
- Claria is subsidizing the installation of P2P software;
- Claria is profiting from the use of P2P software;
- (MP|RI)AA habitually sues those responsible for the availability or use of P2P software:
Obiously, (MP|RI)AA should be suing Claria. Hard.*The Chronicles of Riddick
I've never really seen spyware (Score:3, Interesting)
True, I'm an IT professional. And on my home computer I use Linux almost exclusively.
And at work: nothing. Nada. Those few who have Internet access it's closely monitored & filtered, incoming email is thoroughly scanned and systems are locked down. And I see no spyware.
Last time I booted Windows at home (just a NAT'ing firwall as protection), it was Win2K and I did see a premium dialler try and install. Seems to me that the malware vendors are yearning for the Bad Old Days of Windows '9x, complete with 9 levels of DLL hell and drivers written by barbary apes. So they're using whatever they can to bring those days back.
Things like that remind me why I stopped working with Windows.
AOL stunned me too (Score:3, Insightful)
"You may already have a version of AOL installed on your computer! If you'd like to check us to check for you please click here..."
This is really sad. AOL has penetrated the whole planet with CDs for so many years that they can simply assume that there might already be some version of their adware-dialup-crap on any given machine. They admit with this button that they are well aware that most users are totally clueless of what software they are running on their computers. "Save me, AOL!"
Personally (Score:3, Informative)
Possibly the most annoying ones are the anomymous ones such as 'CoolWebSearch' which you don't know what to search for to get rid of it and the ones which you have no clue how to remove 'MySearch'.
Or the worse ones at all, the ones that break the address bar so you can't access any sites via. internet Explorer. Thankfully PC Gamer has started including Mozilla Firefox on its Cd's and I reckon a few other major magaizes will follow suite.
Quite possibly the worse one is that piece of paid adware, the one which you have to format your entire P.C to get rid of all traces of it. 'AOL'.
Copyright => Spyware (Score:5, Insightful)
The copyright system says that the only way you can expect to receive substantial revenue from your efforts to create useful content is to prevent free access to your content. If you provide your content in the most useful form, to the largest number of people who might find it useful, your income is guaranteed to be arbitrarily close to $0.
Spyware/adware is a natural response to this problem. Closed source is less useful than open source to users of software, but the intellectual property regime says it is a better business model, precisely because customers don't know what is in the software. Spyware just takes this principle to its logical conclusion: if it is good for the customer not to know what is in their software, let's exploit this ignorance to the maximum extent possible.
This will gradually kill the market for individual developers of mass-market software. Previously you had to convince your customers that it is worth the effort to download and try out your software, and then you had to convince them to pay you for it if they liked it, even though it is dead easy for them to not pay you and to keep on using the software anyway. Now you also have the hopeless task of convincing your customers that someone they have never heard of is not a spyware author.
It's much worse than people think. (Rant) (Score:5, Interesting)
Are you all insane? (Score:5, Insightful)
Have you all been completely brainwashed by Microsoft? The existence of spyware is Microsoft's fault, and all the time you waste over this crap is owed to you by Microsoft.
First of all, it should not be possible for software to get surreptitiously installed on your computer without your being aware of it. To the degree that this is possible it is the fault of the OS developer.
I just don't get it. If adware and spyware started showing up on Mac OS X you can bet Apple would institute sweeping changes to prevent it from happening.
Frankly I don't know why there isn't a huge class-action suit against Microsoft for encouraging spyware and adware development. And how much crossover is there between spyware and adware developers and the developers of detection/removal software.
Seriously, someone explain why you put up with it?
Re:as long as spyware actually does something (Score:4, Informative)
Re:What defines the circles? (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Adbar (Score:3, Informative)