Antispyware - The Real Spyware?

What better way to get information from your computer than to have you give it up willingly and happily in the very name of protecting that information and your privacy? The same old "Problem -> Reaction -> Solution" method of gaining information and control would work just as well with Anti-Spyware software as terrorism does for the Patriot Act. "He who gives up liberty for temporary security..." Fearful and worried about the boogeyman coming through the front door, you hire a serial killer with a charming smile to watch over your family. Spyware and Adware, the problem is created. We need a solution to fix this problem, since we are all so dependent on the Internet and computers. "A computer in every home." And here it is, ladies and gents! Anti-spyware! ...or is that Double-Speak?

Spyware alert raised to Orange! Spyare! Adware! Stealware! Tupperware! BEware...is what we're told. Otherwise the computer nasties will get you, rape your computer and leave it helpless and whimpering in the corner like some stereotypical Hentai character. Install Anti-spyware and gleefully watch as it first links up to the update site and then deep scans your files.

So as my Supa-Dupa, Anti-Spyware, Anti-Adware, Anti-Hijack Bug Killer 3000!, a "Giant" of a program that was just bought up by W.Gates and Co., fires itself up and does a scheduled scan through all the files on my computer. I watch with smug satisfaction, knowing that my computer is safe from evil electronic spies and snoops trying to invade my privacy, splash porn across my desktop and steal my bandwidth...or is it?

The scanned files list ticks over at a million bits a second - or something stupendously impressive like that - and suddenly I start feeling a little...well...violated. This anti-spyware program is scanning all of my files, even down to the .dll's and .log's (I have no idea what those li'l buggers do). "But that's ok," I think, "this thing is here to protect me from the evil wares that I have been taught to fear so much. And besides, the information doesn't leave my computer."

...but wait...

The next day my spykiller links up to the website of the software manufacturer and downloads the latest updates to keep me safe and secure from the latest threats. My paranoid mind starts ticking over faster than a waterlogged watch and I wonder is anything being UPloaded? File names? Internet history/logs? Posts on ATS?

But then I think I'm probably being too paranoid (likely), or that my computer knowledge is too little to know that this is impossible (more than likely).

And then my Anti-virus software fires up...

Am I too paranoid?

Hey! That�s crazy. I never thought of that, though, wouldn�t it be illegal for them to do so?

Good point, something I have always thought about--spyware/antispyware is not the ONLY computer program that sends info of yours across the net.
As for the previous post of "isn't that ilegal" no..you gave them permission, when you clicked on the "I agree"
I guess at some point in time though, you have to trust someone, or you end up trusting no one...not even yourself.

I was getting the odd pop-up when I was online and decided to buy some spyware from the 'No 1 Spyware company' ............better not say who it was.........and after installing it everytime I went to a new website a pop-up would appear so I reformatted and now no pop-ups !!!

You're being overly paranoid.

If it truly worries you that much, get one of the anti spyware programs that is open source, so you can see exactly what it's programmed to do.

Better yet, learn how to protect your system where you don't need such programs in the first place.

I would worry more about Windows than I would the smaller companies. I think there is a reason they called it Windows and there is also a reason why Bill Gates enjoyed immunity from very blatant violations of anti-trust laws for so many years. Your IP address is all that is needed to track your internet activity, hell you couldn't even get on the internet without one. IMO alot of the anti-spyware companies are too small to really offer much of a blanket coverage, but operating systems are in every PC ever stamped out. The real monster here is your operating system and the tracking software created by agencies, not anti-spyware.
Just a side note, I once emailed my Congressman, and when they emailed back, there was a trojan attached to it that Norton detected and deleted. Was pretty disconcerting.

One never knows what lurks in the cybershadows...you sure do have a point, wecomeinpeace, and now I'm looking at my monster norton program as well as adaware with new suspicion.

But, hey...whatchagonna do?

It's a case of damned if you don't, damned if you do.

The thing is, if someone wanted to hack my little 'puter, they could...nothing is going to stop them.
Two nights ago I got a message from a friend to tell me his gf just said yes to marraige, which is great...BUT...he said "what are you doing up after 1 in the morning surfing ATS?"

It blew my mind...
Knowing this guy talks html in his sleep, I was still surprised how fast he saw what I was viewing. Don't get me wrong...we're good friends and he knows me well enough...but, sheesh!

Anyways, wecomeinpeace...you ever consider writing as a career? You have the talent for it...your post was fun to read as well as being exceptionally well written.

Now...back to paranoia...

c'mon people, If you want a safe, fast, spyware free computer all you need is:

A PC
A copy of windows XP
Windows Servius pack 2
Nortans anti virus
A name brand firewall
A brain (read before clicking I agree to anything)

THATS ALL YOU NEED! thats what I have and my computer is in tiptop shape. The Windows 2 service pack is amazing it actually alerts me when a virus is attempting to install its self. It also block pop-up ads and all the other crud that out there. I scan my computer for virus on a regular basis and have yet to find anything. god bless the maker of SP2

[edit on 4-1-2005 by iksmodnad]

Originally posted by twitchy
I would worry more about Windows than I would the smaller companies. I think there is a reason they called it Windows and there is also a reason why Bill Gates enjoyed immunity from very blatant violations of anti-trust laws for so many years.

The real monster here is your operating system and the tracking software created by agencies, not anti-spyware.

I've thought about that too, twitchy, and I agree. The way to go for mass surveillance of not only surfing habits, but also offline files, would be via your OS. The staggering monopoly of Microsoft is...uhh..staggering. The old "hidden right in front of your eyes" saying comes to mind when you think about the name "Windows"; a window into your private life? I remember reading something a while ago that said that Windows source code is still restricted/unavailable and that no-one really knows what goes on in the deep, dark bowels of your OS. Can anyone confirm or refute this?

I made an (albeit) obscure reference to an anti-spyware prog that is lauded in the industry as the best (yes, it's better than Spybot, but it's not free). The prog/company is Giant, and it was recently purchased by Microsoft. Interesting.

Originally posted by masqua
Two nights ago I got a message from a friend to tell me his gf just said yes to marraige, which is great...BUT...he said "what are you doing up after 1 in the morning surfing ATS?"

HTF did he do that?

My guess is that he knows I'm ALWAYS searching through ATS, but he is a major cyber freak. He gave me that message through IM and it wasn't 2 minutes after he got hold of me that he came out with the ATS statement.
I'll have to ask him next time I see him.

This anti-spyware program is scanning all of my files, even down to the .dll's and .log's (I have no idea what those li'l buggers do). "But that's ok," I think, "this thing is here to protect me from the evil wares that I have been taught to fear so much. And besides, the information doesn't leave my computer.

Read my blog about computers and spyware...especially the part about the .log giles you were talking about. Might be of an interst to you.

www.abovetopsecret.com...'

I thought this too about the NSA and CIA having a key to actually 'spy' on somebody with antispyware...Its just a thing to make you 'think' your computer is free of all of this junk. My friend is in the CISCO academy, he says that when you delete your internet history, microsoft made it to where it just shows as deleted (just to make you feel better), but its actually still there, you just dont know it

It is almost always true when a mega company buys a small privately developed product, it will turn into bloatware.

2 Cases & Points:

About 4 years ago, a small company created 'Spamkiller'. I bought it and 2 years later McAfee acquired it. The install program ballooned from 2MB to over 12MB. Hundreds of DLLs, OCXs and other VB embedded stuff.
I dumped Spamkiller for ChoiceMail shortly thereafter.

Next there was AtGuard (firewall). Excellent software. It was eventually purchased by Norton and was transformed into a monster file called NIS 2000. I dumped it for Outpost Pro.

Now that Giant Company has been sold to Microsoft, you can be guaranteed that it will also turn into bloatware, with dozens of patches every month just to close open ports and other vulnerable code.

If it weren't for 3rd party firewalls and AV/spyware software, almost every Windows PC would be a server of malicious code & scripts.

Looks like another good and reputable product will now be trashed.


NVBadBoy