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Anyone got the bead on spyware..I know of a pgm called opt out that is supposed to detect if your pc is carrying anything it shouldn't be carrying.....there's another one..alarm something but I'm not sure of it's name...
Is spyware a legitimate concern?
Is there a good freeware product to help combat the situtation?
There is a product called ZoneAlarm or ZoneAlert (can't remember which one) which got real good reviews in the magazines. It is free for personal use.
I just checked it. It is ZoneAlarm by ZoneLabs at http://www.zonelabs.com. You can download it there.
Opt Out only detect and removes, files on your PC that monitors your Internet movements, writes those movements to a file and uploads that file to a central database so advertisers can use them to "help" sale you stuff. These uploads are "supposed" to me anonymous. Many programs contain these files, like getright and cuteftp.
Go to http://www.grc.com for the information you are seeking...
Perhaps I missed the boat, but I don't like the sound of this. What exactly are you guys referring to?
Eiredrake
Thanks All...I will get the zonealarm and install it.
eiredrake:
Hope I spelled that correctly...there are pgms on the net that plant little programs into your hard drive so they can moniter and track you pc use...one example I read of was a curson in the shape of the Canadian Flag...nice effect..however, it reportedly tracked your movements on the web and relayed the info to another site that more than likely tracks and sells the information much like mailing list. I can't remember what paper it was but it was in one of the Canadian Computer Rags...personally, I don't want anyone putting anything in my pc let alone being able to track my surfing habits...not like I have anything to hide ...just the idea of a tailgate offends me.
Here is the zdtv artical about optout. I use it all the time becuase I don't want anybody to know about all the porn.....ahh......vb stuff I look at all the time.
http://www.zdnet.com/zdtv/freshgear/mindthegap/story/0,3679,2472004,00.html