No wonder consumers are confused about spyware, adware and cookies. This article just makes me see red! LEGIT Anti-spyware companies call a spade a spade and get sued over it by the adware companies who dont want consumers warned about what they are doing. Yet our cookies which are totally innocent get blocked and flagged and we don’t do anything about it.

Little agreement on spyware guidelines “Part of the challenge stems from how the term “spyware” evolved. “It started out as being called spyware because a lot of it was spying on people and sending personal information… In some people’s minds, spyware came to include programs that change Web browser settings without asking or trick users into racking up huge phone bills by making the equivalent of “900″ calls to foreign porn sites. ”

“Spyware has sort of become the euphemism for any software I don’t want,” said Wayne Porter, co-founder of SpywareGuide.com.

Claria Corp., formerly known as Gator Corp., has sued several anti-spyware companies and Web sites for calling its advertising software “spyware.”

180solutions Inc. takes issue with “adware,” preferring “searchware” or “sponsorware.” “Adware” has become too linked with bad actors, and the industry needs more differentiation, said its chief executive, Keith Smith. Most anti-spyware vendors, however, still put 180solutions in that category.

Aluria Software LLC says one company, WhenU.com Inc., has changed its practices enough that it is now spyware- and adware-safe. But America Online Inc… found that users overwhelmingly choose to rid their computers of WhenU’s SaveNow application when anti-spyware scans uncover it, so AOL continues to list as adware.”

Read the rest over at BusinessWeek

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