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Published: July 11, 2005, 9:00 PM PDT
By Joris Evers
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
The nascent Anti-Spyware Coalition plans to publish on Tuesday the first results of its work aimed at bolstering the fight against spyware.
The group, made up of makers of anti-spyware software, will release a proposed definition of spyware and a common lexicon, said Ari Schwartz, an associate director at the Center for Democracy and Technology which has led the work of the group. Various consumer and industry organizations helped in the effort, he said.
The coalition defines spyware narrowly as software that gathers information about the user and is installed without adequate user notice, consent or control. The definition would mark as spyware any programs that are downloaded and installed surreptitiously or that track what Web sites people visit, for example.
An expanded definition also includes other potentially malicious programs, such as software that provides backdoors for hackers or serves up ads on the user's screen.
In that definition, spyware and other potentially unwanted technologies are described as those that "impair users' control over: material changes that affect their user experience, privacy, or system security; use of their system resources, including what programs are installed on their computers; or collection, use, and distribution of their personal or otherwise sensitive information."
The group has also drafted procedures for dealing with software makers who believe their product has been unfairly flagged as spyware.
Full Read @ C|NET
By Joris Evers
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
The nascent Anti-Spyware Coalition plans to publish on Tuesday the first results of its work aimed at bolstering the fight against spyware.
The group, made up of makers of anti-spyware software, will release a proposed definition of spyware and a common lexicon, said Ari Schwartz, an associate director at the Center for Democracy and Technology which has led the work of the group. Various consumer and industry organizations helped in the effort, he said.
The coalition defines spyware narrowly as software that gathers information about the user and is installed without adequate user notice, consent or control. The definition would mark as spyware any programs that are downloaded and installed surreptitiously or that track what Web sites people visit, for example.
An expanded definition also includes other potentially malicious programs, such as software that provides backdoors for hackers or serves up ads on the user's screen.
In that definition, spyware and other potentially unwanted technologies are described as those that "impair users' control over: material changes that affect their user experience, privacy, or system security; use of their system resources, including what programs are installed on their computers; or collection, use, and distribution of their personal or otherwise sensitive information."
The group has also drafted procedures for dealing with software makers who believe their product has been unfairly flagged as spyware.
Full Read @ C|NET
This post has been edited by jgweed: 12 July 2005 - 09:29 AM
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