Actually terminology, definitions, and user expectations do matter and do make things right. If you install an application that you know includes adware and if it is stated that information and user behavior relative to the ad placement will be tracked and sent to some party, then it is not spying in the sense of watching secretly.
However, in defense of the term spyware, we only need to go to the dictionary to see that it is broad enough to include observation for a specific purpose.
