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DEFINITION: Spyware, also known by terms such as adware and stealthware, is software that is installed surreptitiously on your computer for the purpose of tracking your activity, harvesting information about your or your computer, or otherwise compromising your privacy or causing mischief.
Spyware and its brethren are primarily privacy issues. Spyware is typically deposited on your computer so that your Web usage patterns can be tracked, with a view toward serving you targeted advertising, whether you want it or not.
A common spyware variant is the kind that may be intercepted by your browser -- depending on its privacy settings you have configured -- when you visit some Web sites, and give you a chance to decline its installation on your machine. However, many inexperienced users may not be aware of the consequences of this, and may be misled into accepting what would turn out to be a privacy-invasive feature. Here is such an example of such an "invitation" that most people would want to avoid:
There is a growing chorus of privacy advocates on the Internet who firmly believe, as many of us do, that nothing should be communicated between your computer and another that you are unaware of. As a result, there are a number of freeware programs, like SpyBot and Ad-Aware, that have been graciously published in an attempt to counter the spyware trend. Check our resource listings on the EONI SafetyZONE page to find where to download such software.
