New Spyware Definition Does More Harm Than Good

from the defining-what-exactly? dept

As expected, the new group or anti-spyware and related companies that was so focused on coming up with a "definition" for spyware has done exactly that -- and it's about as useless as you might imagine. It doesn't really define "spyware" at all. It tries to classify a few different types of software, but misses the point on all -- which will only help to serve those companies looking to mislead everyone by claiming they're not spyware. Like spam, spyware is really in the eye of the computer owner -- and it can be loosely defined as "any application I don't want on my computer which I don't know how it got on my computer." It's that simple. That is what annoys people. While spyware companies try to claim it's the "spying" part or some other aspect -- it's simply the fact that these applications tend to keep showing up, even though the user doesn't want them. Putting other, concrete, definitions around spyware doesn't help things. It just sets the boundaries for less than honest companies to carefully skirt the edges to make sure they don't meet the official qualification, but are just as annoying to actual end users in real life.

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