The Center for Democracy and Technology has an informative report on background and policy proposals on the 'spyware' problem:

The vast majority of writing about the spyware problem to date has focused on the privacy dimension of the issue. Privacy is one of the major concerns raised by spyware, but the larger issues are transparency and control. Users are typically unaware that spyware programs are being installed on their computers and often unable to uninstall them. These programs can change the appearance of websites, modify users' "start" and "search" pages in their browsers, or change low level system settings. They are often responsible for significant reducations in computer performance and system stability. In many cases, consumers are mistakenly led to believe that the problem is with another application or with their Internet provider, placing a substantial burden on the support departments of providers of those legitimate applications and services. Even in cases where theses programs transmit no personally identifiable informatin, their hidden, unauthorized use of users' computers and Internet connections threatens the security of comptuers and the integrity of online communications. Arguably, a better term for many of these applications would have been "trespassware."

...via Freedom to Tinker

Posted by dcoates at November 20, 2003 10:19 AM