Good Spyware vs. Bad Spyware

SPYWARE. The very term conjures up the notions of something evil, doesn't it? Something that is placed on your computer sneakily, without your consent or maybe even your knowledge. It spies on you, collecting all sorts of information, and then passes that information on to shady people who will use it for nefarious purposes.

Earthlink has already initiated spyware blocking for their clients, with AOL set to unveil theirs soon. This is the latest effort on the part of internet providers to protect the average user from being abused and exploited by unethical web pirates, who launch virus attacks, plant Trojans, fill your inbox with spam, and now they even secretly spy on your computer usage! Obviously, a great evil that should be stamped out, right?

Wrong. The problem is, not all spyware is bad. So-called "spyware" comes in many shapes and sizes, and most of it is far from evil. However, it has gotten very bad press from the few instances of abuse, and now there is increasing public outcry to block spyware from your computer. Even such responsible reporting services as Reuters have jumped on the bandwagon. A recent article on the new AOL service includes phrases such as: "Internet service providers say spyware is the largest undiagnosed problem on the Web, akin to spam in magnitude."; "91 percent of broadband users have spyware or adware on their home computers, and that in most cases it surreptitiously found its way there"; "newer keystroke logging programs track what Web users type while they're logged on and can tease out such sensitive information as social security numbers, e-mail addresses, financial account numbers and passwords."; and "Spyware programs have rapidly spread as companies look for ways to gather personal information to use in targeted marketing and advertising campaigns that help boost sales." The implication is clear: Spyware is something to be frightened of. It's even compared to spam email, widely regarded by many as the scourge of the computer age. And internet marketing is placed squarely in the crossfire once again.

It's true that certain types of spyware contain Trojans, other types actually do log keystrokes and can be used to steal private information such as names, telephone numbers, addresses, credit card numbers, and social security numbers. These are easily blocked and/or removed with readily available software such as Norton Anti-Virus, McAfee, Zone Alarm, Black Ice, Ad-Aware, Anti-Trojan, and a number of other programs. Built-in security in Internet Explorer and other browsers can also block unwanted intrusions.

On the other hand, "good" spyware is routinely used by many legitimate businesses as part of their marketing. The hit tracking contained on many websites will track what domains referred the visitor, what search keywords were used, what search engines were used, what pages are being visited, how many people come back. Personal information? No. But invaluable for a responsible business owner trying to make sure that they are serving their customers' needs, and spending their marketing dollars wisely. It's a lot faster and easier than having to analyze server logs, but provides the same information.

Those of us who rely heavily on hit tracking, and the vital statistics provided, can only hope that the anti-spyware advocates don't take a good thing and make it into an evil. I hope that the new anti-spyware services being provided by internet services such as AOL and Earthlink will have some ability to distinguish between established, legitimate and non-threatening services such as HitBox or HitsLink, and malicious programs that are being illicitly placed on computers to do harm.