spyware
 

what is everyone's problem with spyware?

so what if on a computer miles and miles away on 1 record in a massive database there is a line with your name on saying 'you downloaded this on the_date'

i have no problem with spyware... the term spyware is too paranoid, ppl think they are being spied on, they are just being logged automatically on a database miles and miles away like every other john doe

Re: spyware
 

Depends on the spyware.  Do you hate Spam?  If you like Spam don't do anything about the spyware.  They use the information about your surfing to "custom tailor" your internet experience.  Spam just pisses me off in any form I don't care if some fruit in Iowa things I want to hear about his debt soulotion because I check my credit card balance online.  Spyware sucks.  If it just tracked data it wouldn't be bad it's what people do with it after they collect it.  And this is just the legal spyware.  How would you like to get a keystroke monitor installed as "spyware"  I'm sure we can trust all of those company's with our credit card information.  I mean they wouldn't actually do anything with it would they?  Spyware sucks plain and simple.

Re: spyware
 

Can't believe you could ask such a base question, if you own and operate a computer. As noted above, spam is one of many things that is a by-product of spyware.
The term spyware is all encompassing to include as many as 2,000 different trojans out there that collect info from your computers personal files and can auto dial it back to the home machine. All without your knowledge.
Then lets just look at one of these 2,000 trojans, the dreaded " WebHancer" which brazenly downloads and installs itself unseen with lots of popular software, EG= Audio Galaxy, Audio plugs , etc. This trojan has and will totally destroy the Winsock32.dll, rendering your machine totally useless in connecting to the internet. You will connect to your ISP, see the modem lights blink and be connected  to the ISP, but not thru connected to the internet. NO Throughput. This has caused untold misery to probally millions who didn't know how to deal with it, and the procedure to rebuild the winsock 32.dll is not at all a pleasant task.
Volumes could be written about the dangers of spyware and already have.
Then the FBI has it's own spy trojan -"Magic Lantern", which steathly gathers the info it is seeking on whomever, this info will surely be shared with other countries.
Firewalls exist to deal with trojans - ZoneAlarm, Tiny etc, scanners exist to remove them, AdAware, ANTS etc.
As Ann Landers says, " time to wake up and smell the coffee ".
Do some research on spy trojans and then post back to us on it .

Re: spyware
 

in retrospect what i said was kinda stupid  :-X

/me makes note not to post here before breakfast