Daemon
Premium
join:2003-06-29
San Francisco, CA
 ·Comcast
| reply to Thaler
Re: depends on the definition of spyware
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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