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Anti-Spyware Guidelines Get Final Version
Ant wrote to mention a C|Net article reporting an agreement by The Anti-Spyware Coalition on some standard methods for identifying and combating spyware. From the article: "The Anti-Spyware Coalition, whose members include Microsoft, Symantec, Computer Associates, McAfee, AOL and Yahoo, said on Thursday that it has finalized its spyware detection guidelines. The final version takes into account public comments on a proposed version introduced in October ... The Anti-Spyware Coalition's guidelines, or risk model description, aim to provide a common way to classify spyware, based on risks a piece of software poses to consumers. They also suggest ways to handle software, based on those risk levels."
Since the guidelines themselves aren't enumerated in TFA, I'm going to hazard a guess and say that "unremoveable software installed without your permission that modifies the way your computer works and spies on you is bad if it's installed by a corporation with a net income of less than nine figures, but it's ok if it's installed by a corporation with a net income of nine figures or more, because they know more about your computer than you do, they know what's best for their customers, and they need to protect their 1920's-style business model."
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The very fact that Symantec is in the group means they are just a sham. Symantec's Norton Antivirus classifies Spybot S&D as a virus (HUH?). Then, when they were forced to admit it wasn't, the excuse becamse "Norton Ghost won't work if Spybot S&D is installed" (HUH?). Just the usual tactic to push competitors (especially free competitors) out of the market.