Taxster.cjb.net: What is Spyware?


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rishdeep@hotmail.com

Loads of people asking about this one, so I thought I'd better do my best to fill you guys in on what spyware is. To be honest, even I'm a bit unsure about it all, but here's what I know...
There are 2 types of "it": Spyware and Adware. Both are pieces of software usually bundled in with other software - most notably file-sharing programs.

Me, being so organised and all :), has set up a nice little menu for you to follow below:

In short, what is Spyware?
In short, what is Adware?
A quick point about KaZaA...
What is the Definition of Spyware?
Why do file-sharing programs bundle Spyware with their software?
How do I check for and remove Spyware from my PC?
How do I avoid installing Spyware on my PC from file-sharing programs?

In short, what is Spyware?:
Spyware is software that pretty literally "spies" on what you are doing on your computer - what sites you visit, what programs/applications you are using, etc. and sends this information to whoever wants it. By definition, spyware is only spyware when this is being done WITHOUT your knowledge. This is an important factor for reasons I'll come onto later...

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In short, what is Adware?:
Now, adware is slightly different and somewhat more tolerable (for me anyway). It's basically software which controls the advertisements that you see. If you click on a certain advert, this information is sent to whoever so that you will see more of that type of advertisement.

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A Quick Point about KaZaA
Now, there's a big who-har about spyware being put in file-sharing programs as I'm sure you'll by now know (or you wouldn't be reading this page...), and its a damn confusing situation for me to try and cover. *Sigh*, but I guess I'll have to anyway...

An example which typifies this is the following - KaZaA does contain some kind of software which is being recognised by programs such as AdAware as spyware, but if you look at KaZaA's "Your Privacy" pages on their website, you will see that they are saying that KaZaA claims that it doesn't contain anything of the sort (by their definition of what spyware is...see below). Thing is, during installation, if you read the privacy statement (haven't checked this myself but I'm sure its there...), it'll basically tell you that KaZaA is also going to install software, which is going to run on your PC when KaZaA is being used, that will essentially "spy" on you. Now, because you pressed that little "I Agree" box under the privacy statement which I'M SURE you can all be bothered to read, you have now legally gained the knowledge that there software running in the background of KaZaA which is "spying" on you. Hence, because you have this knowledge, this software can no longer be classified, by definition, as spyware.

And the fact that they actually GIVE the definition of, what they think spyware is, on KaZaA's site kinda shows that they are wriggling their way around the fact that, even though, yes, KaZaA does contain software which "spies" on you, because you apparently know about it, it can no longer be defined as Spyware, hence - KaZaA is (apparently) spyware free!

Those are my two cents on what I believe the situation is anyways. If I'm wrong, (and I doubt I am) e-mail me and abuse me as much as you want... :)

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So what IS the definition of Spyware?
There are a couple of definitions that I found (in case you are interested...):

From Spychecker.com:
"Spyware is Internet jargon for Advertising Supported software (Adware). It is a way for shareware authors to make money from a product, other than by selling it to the users. There are several large media companies that offer them to place banner ads in their products in exchange for a portion of the revenue from banner sales. This way, you don't have to pay for the software and the developers are still getting paid. If you find the banners annoying, there is usually an option to remove them, by paying the regular licensing fee."

From Whatis.com:
"In general, spyware is any technology that aids in gathering information about a person or organization without their knowledge. On the Internet, spyware is programming that is put in someone's computer to secretly gather information about the user and relay it to advertisers or other interested parties. Spyware can get in a computer as a software virus or as the result of installing a new program. Data collecting programs that are installed with the user's knowledge are not, properly speaking, spyware, if the user fully understands what data is being collected and with whom it is being shared."

And of course...From KaZaA.com (a definition given by none other then software expert Steve Gibson of Gibson Research *gasp!*):
"Spyware is any software (that) employs a user's Internet connection in the background (the so-called 'backchannel') without their knowledge or explicit permission. Silent background use of an Internet 'backchannel' connection must be preceded by a complete and truthful disclosure of proposed backchannel usage, followed by the receipt of explicit, informed consent for such use. Any software communicating across the Internet absent of these elements is guilty of information theft and is properly and rightfully termed: Spyware."

Don't you just love how politically correct they are trying to be to try and prove that KaZaA doesn't contain spyware?? :)

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Why do File-Sharing Programs bundle Spyware with thier Software?
Well, basically, the great thing about file-sharing programs (and the reason why they are so popular) is the fact that they are all (well, the majority) completely free to download and use. Heck, if they weren't, they file-sharing wouldn't be as big as it is today. However, creating these programs and getting various Internet resources to run them for the creator ISN'T free. This means that the creator needs to get their money to run the clients from somewhere.

Companies pay good money to file-sharing client creators to bundle their software with Spyware. The more popular the file-sharing program is - the more clients downloaded - the more spyware running on peoples computers - the more money they will receive. File-sharing client creators have to be very careful though, as now that spyware is becoming more of a public concern with the file-sharing community, people will be put off by the fact that a client DOES contain spyware and not download it at all. This is why smaller, up-and-coming clients such as Blubster as an example, isn't bundling their clients with spyware for fear that people will not use the client and there won't be many users on the network. And the amount of users on the network determines how many files will be available on the network, which determines how successful the file-sharing program will be. Companies such as Sharman's Network running KaZaA can afford to bundle their clients with, what is essentially spyware, as their network is already massive.

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How do I check for and Remove Spyware from my PC?
There are now 2 programs on the Net that you can download (for free of course) to search for and remove any Spyware that's on your PC:

AdAware: Most renown program for searching and removing spyware from your PC.

Search and Destroy: Quite new, and I haven't used it before, but is supposed to pick up stuff that AdAware doesn't, although not one for the newbies I've been told...

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Whats the best way to avoid installing Spyware bundled with File-Sharing Programs altogther?
I'm glad you asked. There are many hacked versions of KaZaA, iMesh, Morpheus, Grokster, Limewire etc. that are available for free download on the Internet which have had all their Spyware and Adware removed. I use the hacked version of KaZaA Lite all the time for one, because of all of the above reasons, but also because it has removed all pop-up ads and banner ads within the program which is fantastic. Also, the restriction of searching MP3s with only up to a bitrate of 128 kbps has been removed which is very handy. Thing is, the peeps who run these file-sharing programs aren't happy that people have hacked them and removed all their spyware/adware/adverts as the revenue that they get from people using their client is decreasing the more and more people use these "clean" clients. So what they often do is attack people who host them and force them to remove the links to these hacked clients. For this reason, links are always being brought up and taken down every now and then. You can download a spyware free version of KaZaA here. That link is pretty reliable. Others are less reliable. If you want the latest links, ask for them on the message board.

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