Daemon
Premium
join:2003-06-29
San Francisco, CA
 ·Comcast
| depends on the definition of spyware
I think the term spyware has transcended the original meaning, which was a hidden program installed that tracks your behavior and reports it to an outside source.
It's now been applied to any program that tracks your behavior and displays ads. Even if people know they are installing the program, they still don't like what it does or that fact that they have to install it to install whatever it came bundled with. Thus, it gets labelled spyware because it's irritating.
It's similar, in my opinion, to the label hacker. It transcended it's original meaning to include those cracking systems maliciously.
Sorry cydoor, I think it's going to be hard to change our collective psyches
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-Ryan
Computational Engineering Student looking for BioMedical/Computational BioEng internship. PM me if you know of any available! |
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Thaler
Premium
join:2004-02-02
Encino, CA
| said by Daemon  :I think the term spyware has transcended the original meaning, which was a hidden program installed that tracks your behavior and reports it to an outside source. It's now been applied to any program that tracks your behavior and displays ads. I think you answered your question just there. Cydoor (and all the collective "adware" agencies) ARE spyware, as they are tracking your behavior with their software. Keeping track of how many ads I've seen, how many clicks I make, etc.? That's spying, my friend...and that's what spyware does.
It's no keylogger, but they admit that it is keeping information on my habits. Who knows what else it's doing that they're not telling me? It's not exactly like they have any credibility with the internet community.
said by Daemon :Even if people know they are installing the program, they still don't like what it does or that fact that they have to install it to install whatever it came bundled with. Thus, it gets labelled spyware because it's irritating. No, it gets labeled "crapware" and "malware" because it annoys the hell out of you AND makes your system unstable. The "spyware" tag gets earned for keeping track of any "habits" I might be having on my own damn computer.
So, Cydoor is spyware, crapware, and malware, all rolled into one. Sorry for the mistake Cydoor.  |
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Daemon
Premium
join:2003-06-29
San Francisco, CA
·Comcast
| said by Thaler :I think you answered your question just there. Cydoor (and all the collective "adware" agencies) ARE spyware, as they are tracking your behavior with their software. Keeping track of how many ads I've seen, how many clicks I make, etc.? That's spying, my friend...and that's what spyware does. It's not spying if I authorize or otherwise invite the tracking. (Otherwise, auditing services could be prosecuted for espionage) Thus, if the installer program makes it explicit that my habits will be tracked and I must agree to complete the install, it's not strictly "spyware".
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-Ryan
Computational Engineering Student looking for BioMedical/Computational BioEng internship. PM me if you know of any available! |
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Thaler
Premium
join:2004-02-02
Encino, CA
| How do you "authorize" tracking when the damn things install via exploits and other unscruplous deployment methods where you don't even get the option to say no? Not to meantion that even on "legit" spyware installs, the agreement to "allow" spying is buried on page 1834 of the EULA, written in legaleeze.
If adware really wanted to be taken as "adware", then the advertisement and tracking methods should be published on page 1, right in the user's face...not just subsection Q of document reference packet 9B in the hidden help file in the install. However, chances are that if these activities were made known from minute 1 of installation, and they'd apparantly rather have uninformed miserable users than have customers who actually want their software "solution".
Stealth installs and deceptive EULAs do not amount to user concent, so they still are spying on these "customers", thus, spyware. |
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Daemon
Premium
join:2003-06-29
San Francisco, CA
·Comcast
| We're arguing the same thing here.
I agree completely with your above point. However, even if cydoor does exactly what you describe, the foul memory of spyware will keep it labeled as spyware, because the consumer won't see the difference.
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-Ryan
Computational Engineering Student looking for BioMedical/Computational BioEng internship. PM me if you know of any available! |
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Thaler
Premium
join:2004-02-02
Encino, CA
| said by Daemon :However, even if cydoor does exactly what you describe, the foul memory of spyware will keep it labeled as spyware, because the consumer won't see the difference. It still meets my criteria for spyware, as they now admit (in plain english, in their own words) that buried within the software EULA, it allows them to track your habits. Maybe someday some other company will come along and truely make Adware in the pure sense of the word...currently though, it seems like every "no-spyware adware" vendor abuses that label with the stealth installs & f***ed up EULAs. |
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