| |
____________________
|
|
|
| |
.: The end of spyware? Fat chance - 10th May 2005
|
"Why should anyone be surprised that the epidemic of spyware--and its kissing cousin, adware--is getting worse? The raison d'etre for this sort of thing is as American as apple pie. Call it the unexpected outgrowth of entrepreneurial capitalism. Or if you're wont to take a more cynical view of our affairs, chalk it up to the seamier side of human nature.
In the late 1990s, advertisers wanted more-accurate ways to track click-through rates on their Internet advertisements. Cookies weren't doing the trick, and a cottage industry subsequently grew up that helped companies better monitor Web surfing patterns. Among other things, these companies discovered ways to download code onto computers, code that then popped up relevant advertisements when people opened Web pages..."
[news.com] |
.: Big Firms' Ad Bucks Also Fund Spyware - 9th May 2005
|
"Fortune 500 members are among the unwitting backers of software that sneaks into computers. Blue-chip companies are sponsoring more than TV shows and golf tournaments to promote their products: They are inadvertently underwriting computer spyware too.
Larry Ingram found that out last month after spyware infested computers owned by Minnesota's Hennepin County. The uninvited software spewed ads for such companies as car maker Mercedes-Benz and online travel agency Travelocity.com. Ingram, who oversees security for the county's 11,000 computers, said those companies might have relied — perhaps unknowingly — on unscrupulous advertising middlemen..."
[LA Times] |
.: FAQ: How Real ID will affect you - 6th May 2005
|
"What's all the fuss with the Real ID Act about?
President Bush is expected to sign an $82 billion military spending bill soon that will, in part, create electronically readable, federally approved ID cards for Americans.
What does that mean for me?
Starting three years from now, if you live or work in the United States, you'll need a federally approved ID card to travel on an airplane, open a bank account, collect Social Security payments, or take advantage of nearly any government service. Practically speaking, your driver's license likely will have to be reissued to meet federal standards.
The Real ID Act hands the Department of Homeland Security the power to set these standards and determine whether state drivers' licenses and other ID cards pass muster. Only ID cards approved by Homeland Security can be accepted "for any official purpose" by the feds..."
[news.com] |
.: Wider Fallout Seen as Intermix Spyware Probe Continues - 4th May 2005
|
"Though New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer's office declined to say which companies might be involved, the agency says it collected information on approximately 30 companies during the inquiry that led to the Intermix suit and that the investigation continues.
In what some see as a hint of additional fallout to come from the first major enforcement action against spyware being planted through otherwise legitimate Web sites, Ask Jeeves has found it necessary to respond to accusations that its various sites enable downloading of unwanted programs. Meanwhile, the office of New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer said the investigation that last week resulted in a lawsuit potentially worth tens of millions of dollars against online marketing firm Intermix, continues and could result in additional actions against more Web companies..."
[E-commerce Times] |
.: Research: Spyware industry worth billions - 4th May 2005
|
"Despite reductions in the number of computers infected by spyware applications, the troublesome software has created a billion-dollar industry that continues to plague both consumers and businesses, researchers said on Tuesday.
According to the State of Spyware Report, issued by security software maker Webroot, the number of computers infected with spyware applications remains relatively high despite growing awareness of the epidemic and modest success in controlling it. Webroot's independent research and data gathered by its Spy Audit service, which uses software designed to look for spyware, showed that 88 percent of the consumer machines in the study harbored some form of unwanted program during the first quarter of 2005..."
[news.com] |
Next Page >>
|
|
|
|
