Spyware

James Prendergast, from FoxNews.com has the following great article about Spyware, like Claria and Bonzi Buddy.

What I think I like best is that he not only explains spyware and how to get rid of it, but he takes a stand I can appreciate: "Don't rely on a government solution to this problem. Rely on the market to handle the problem".

For example, since the "Can Spam" law went into effect, the amount of spam I get has tripled. I tried opting-out of a few emails just to see if it worked like the law says, and sure enough, I'm not getting any email from that company anymore, but the different company, that shares the same address and office with the company I opted-out of has bombarded me with EVEN MORE mail. Luckily I was using a throw-away email account anyway...

Anything that the government does to legislate spyware is going to fail in some crucial and amazingly stupid way. More importantly, I don't think it's the purview of government to manage my spyware. That's why I use AdAware. That's why I'm dilligent in what I download, because my information and my computer are my responsibility. And I'd like it to stay that way.

Thanks very much.