Slashdot Mirror
Spyware More Common in Popular Software?
Keith Young asks: "Over the past month, we have seen a 1500% increase of spyware denials on our firewall primarily due to WildTangent 'spyware' installed with AOL IM 5.5 and adware installed with Weatherbug. Since many of these widely-installed types of applications have an automatic upgrade feature, how can these be tested for license agreements, spyware, and security 'irregularities'? Is this another reason to approach management to choose only open source alternatives?"
You have to bare in mind that alot of companies have invested alot of money into there Microsoft Windows Network with all there fancy graphics packages and what not. If you have just finished signing a checking for nearly the value of the company on software licenses for your machines would you want to go to an open source operating system because some guy who works for you is moaning about spyware being stopped by the firewall. in my opinion the best way to scare somebody into changing to open source software is to tell them about the spyware that is NOT being stopped by the firewall
I know everything you can download for free isn't really that, but on the same hand as many people want to know if they have drm-crippled CDs that they purchase, wouldn't one also want to know what 'extras' get installed with a program and not just an [install] button to start and an [ok] button when finished?
Interesting, if true!
:-(.
But when I clicked on the link, it returned "Not found", and even an extensive search of the site revealed nothing.
You're either a great troll (people click Insightful without clicking on the link?) or there's something odd going on.
And yes, I did remove the "here" from the end of your URL and tried a bunch of other things and nothing got me to the link
D
So if I get something for free, I should just expect to be spied on? That my privacy will be invaded?
/example/
//
Say, would you like a brand-new weather cover for your car? Oh, good. *small print* oh, by the way, we're going to watch everywhere you drive, everyone who gets in, what songs you like to listen to on the radio, what your gas mileage is, what sorts of add-ons you buy and install, what sort of add-ons you don't buy but feel compelled to install anyway, and what conversations you have while you're driving. Even when the weather cover isn't on.
Sounds a little different when you're talking about a car, huh? Just because a company *chooses* to give something away does not mean that I should have to give up my privacy to them or anyone else!
I think that you didn't read my post completely. The problem is not the software packages that *always* contained spyware/adware/license-mods/etc, but the ones that get an auto-update and install the latest crap. As for the $25.00 cost, what will stop your favorite anti-virus vendor from adding the same "features" into their latest engine download? Trust me, this is only the beginning to "surprises" being added into software on the fly.... --Keith Young