Adware

Adware And Tracking

Adware is much more devious and hidden than ad-supported software like the free ad-supported Eudora Lite. Adware's main purpose (minimally) is to track your Internet activities and send them to some remote Internet location.

"Does anybody really want to see what websites I go to? Why would anybody care about what articles I read, or what on-line games I like to play? Is there really anybody that is so pathetic that they have to know any of this?"

These types of questions typically come to mind quickly when a discussion on user tracking is started. However, they don't really get to the heart of the problem created by tracking what users do on the Internet.

The real problem doesn't start to become apparent until later when your computer starts to run a little slower, changes your Internet browser home page all by itself, ads start popping up on your computer even when you're not using the Internet, and ads on Internet pages you frequently visit seem to be changing before your very eyes. In other words, you start to notice something weird is going on.

What's happened is your computer has become infected with "adware".

Admittedly, adware is probably the least destructive of all malware (malicious software) out there. But then, it's intent is not to harm you, but to "force you" to buy the products it's advertising.

Depending upon the sophistication of the "marketing company" behind the adware, you may get ads for products you actually are interested in. However, more than likely you'll just wind up getting ads for sexual enhancement pills, offshore drug pharmacy offers, expensive software selling for pennies on the dollar, offers to advertise your website to millions of people for free, etc. just like everybody else.

One aspect of adware that may be a little more than annoying, is that some have been caught using an infected computer to send out emails using the "From" address of the person who owns the infected computer, to everyone in the owner's address book. This can be more than just annoying, it can be illegal! And guess who gets in trouble... not the company that distributed the adware!

The reason adware is infecting so many computes today, is that it usually comes "bundled" with other software that you want to install on your computer. Typically it is included in games, "browser helper" toolbar software, pop-up blockers, etc. In addition, adware authors usually claim that their software is perfectly legal because computer users agree to it. Then they point to some line in the End-User License Agreement (EULA) that the typical person doesn't read before they check the "I agree" box, and then click the "Next" button to install their new software.

EULAs are sometimes referred to as Clickwrap Agreements because it is like agreeing to a contract simply by tearing off the plastic shrinkwrap off an old shareware diskette package. However, if the contract appears excessive in length, or if key provisions of the contract terms are made inconspicuous or intentionally ambiguous then this can cause Clickwrap Agreements to be rejected as contracts of adhesion by a court of law.

As you can probably guess, adware is in a legal gray area. And, it is this legal gray area which is why the problem of adware hasn't been easily resolved.

However, as owner of your computer, you have the right to determine what gets installed on it or not. There are tools that you can use to clear this stuff off of your computer. There are adware removal products that can scan your computer and remove the adware from your hard drive. Best of all, the best ones are free of charge!

Be aware however, that if you did install some adware, say from the installation of a browser helper toolbar, then if you remove the adware, the new browser helper toolbar you installed may stop working. This happens because the toolbar has code put into it by a programmer to stop functioning if it detects that the adware has been disabled.

One quick note about ad-supported software vs. adware is appropriate here.

Don't confuse ad-supported software with adware. A good example of ad-supported software is Eudora's free email software that is paid for by showing ads inside the software itself, allowing people to get Eudora at no cost. This is not adware. Adware is much more devious and hidden than this, and it's main purpose minimally is to track your Internet activities and send them to some remote Internet location.

Adware is becoming more and more prolific as unscrupulous people are using it to "force" ads on people. However, an entirely different problem arises where a virus, worm or other malware sneaks a peak at the same temporary files and registry entries that the adware looks at to create a profile about you. Except this time, the malware wants to send your personal and financial information, along with logins and passwords to some remote site on the Internet for more than market profiling puposes. When this happens, the inevitable result is worse than just annoying pop-ups, it can turn into stolen personal or financial information or even identity theft.

You can see from this how you should remove the temporary files and unnecessary registry entries every day that is created by Windows and other third-party applications that make your personal information just ripe for the picking by the next malware program. Adware may not necessarily be that serious a threat, but malicious surveillance software is a different story altogether. Here you need even more powerful tools.

Evidence Eliminator automatically removes all usage tracks, unnecessary registry entries, and temporary files created by Windows and other third-party software (using plug-ins) each time you shut down your computer. Currently there are over 100 application plug-ins which are updated constantly. As an owner of Evidence Eliminator, you would have lifetime access to free software support and updates, including any new or updated application plug-ins.

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