For more details and a preliminary list of group members, see the CNet article by Joris Evers:

http://news.com.com/Group+revives+effort+t..._3-5730290.html

"Consumers will benefit by clarity in the rules that apply to those kinds of applications. It will also help software makers understand where the line is so they can stay on the clear side of it."

Regards,
John

As a follow-up to my original post, the Anti-Spyware Coalition has finalised its definitions of Spyware. Their
"... 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."

Moreover, the Coalition plans to certify products using these guidelines:

"Cybertrust, through its ICSA Labs unit, is planning to certify products that meet the guidelines. Consumers should see the first products with its anti-spyware seal of approval within the next few months..."

See the full story by Alorie Gilbert in the CNet News article:
http://news.com.com/Anti-spyware+guideline..._3-6026632.html

Regards,
John

I was hoping for a definition.

As Congress is being asked to write new laws,
I was hoping for a definition that your typical consumer can understand.

A draft subject to a six month wait, and open for consumer input,
well .... will Congress act first?
How 'bout the other nations on the net?

Is it really that tough to place the words into a sentence or at most a few?

QUOTE:
Drafts of the coalition's guidelines are finished and should be published by the end of the summer, when they will be open to public comments, said Ari Schwartz, an associate director at the Center for Democracy and Technology.

"When you get a bunch of technologists together in a room there are very strongly held opinions on definitions," Schwartz said.

How about just a million or so users?
Or 50,000 on a site like BC?

Why am I not confident that I know malware when I see it in action?
Will malware be defined?