Posted by
CowboyNeal
on from the keeping-things-clean dept.
peterfa writes "Sun and Google have teamed up and started a project called Stop Badware. This project aims to expose all the spyware and adware bundled in software and the companies that are responsible. While it's funded by Sun and Google, the research will be done by Oxford and Harvard."
Re:What is there to research?
by
networkBoy
·
· Score: 4, Insightful
Actually the research should be done as it will help the developers of OSs and apps to understand how spyware gets on systems. If most spyware arrives because someone installed Bonzai Buddy then that is different than exploits being used to install without user consent. While they are both bad I think it is vital to OS developers to know why and how this stuff gets there. -nB
-- whois gawk date unzip strip find touch finger mount join nice man top fsck grep eject more yes exit umount sleep dump
How about...
by
doorbot.com
·
· Score: 5, Insightful
How about also exposing the companies that pay for the information gathered by spyware/adware? In other words, the ones actually funding it...
/Didn't RTFA
4 Google stories in one day?
by
Anonymous Coward
·
· Score: 3, Insightful
This must be a record! Come on - I know Slashdot has become synonymous with the Google Blog, but this is crazy!
Re:What is there to research?
by
SilverspurG
·
· Score: 4, Insightful
What we need is a legal precedent set to establish that, yes, a computer belongs solely to the person who shelled out the cash for it. No, it does not belong, in whole, part, or by EULA, to any idiot who manages to package their badware with some stupid search toolbar, screensaver, or desktop theme.
-- fast as fast can be. you'll never catch me.
Re:What is there to research?
by
orangeguru
·
· Score: 3, Insightful
Hmmm. Many Windows loopholes are well known - but the main reason for spyware gets installed are the users themselves. Either they don't fix loopholes (by running windows patches), use safe browsers or they simply can't resist the temptation to install any crap they find.
Sure - we can't blame it all on users and their badly managed/protected systems - but some safer computing with more brains could help... a lot...
Google profits from spyware
by
slashkitty
·
· Score: 5, Insightful
Google has a reason to keep spyware around. They make millions from selling ad space on their search results and affiliates TO the adware companies. Do a search for "smiles", "screensavers" or "Spyware removal" and you'll see lots of ads for adware/spyware!
Google should do less evil by not accepting ads from these companies.
-- -- these are only opinions and they might not be mine.
Slashdot Mirror
Actually the research should be done as it will help the developers of OSs and apps to understand how spyware gets on systems. If most spyware arrives because someone installed Bonzai Buddy then that is different than exploits being used to install without user consent. While they are both bad I think it is vital to OS developers to know why and how this stuff gets there.
-nB
whois gawk date unzip strip find touch finger mount join nice man top fsck grep eject more yes exit umount sleep dump
How about also exposing the companies that pay for the information gathered by spyware/adware? In other words, the ones actually funding it...
/Didn't RTFA
This must be a record! Come on - I know Slashdot has become synonymous with the Google Blog, but this is crazy!
What we need is a legal precedent set to establish that, yes, a computer belongs solely to the person who shelled out the cash for it. No, it does not belong, in whole, part, or by EULA, to any idiot who manages to package their badware with some stupid search toolbar, screensaver, or desktop theme.
fast as fast can be. you'll never catch me.
Hmmm. Many Windows loopholes are well known - but the main reason for spyware gets installed are the users themselves. Either they don't fix loopholes (by running windows patches), use safe browsers or they simply can't resist the temptation to install any crap they find.
... a lot ...
Sure - we can't blame it all on users and their badly managed/protected systems - but some safer computing with more brains could help
Google should do less evil by not accepting ads from these companies.
-- these are only opinions and they might not be mine.