If you've got a computer
and you're on the Net, the odds are about 9 to 1 that you've got
programs on your computer that track where you go and what you do
online.
These are programs that lurk in the dark recesses of your hard
drive, watching what you do and where you go online. They can
threaten your privacy and the performance of your computer.
The companies that use them tend to call the programs adware
because they deliver ads to your computer. Privacy advocates call
them spyware because they track your movement like an intelligence
service. But a lot of it is just plain nasty so I call it nastyware.
Nastyware can splash pop-up windows all over your screen. Nastyware
can track your web surfing and send that information to someone
else, while you go about your online business without a clue that
this is happening.
Some nastyware can do really evil stuff, like hijack your computer
and use it to attack others or send spam. But you don't have to
worry much about that unless you visit porn sites.
Many of those sites download nastyware to your computer without
even letting you know what's happening. We call that a "drive-by
download."
It's not a problem for most of us because we don't visit that
kind of site. What is a problem is that most nastyware winds up
on your computer and mine because we put it there.
Some nastyware just doesn't seem all that nasty. It actually
helps you do things online that you want to do, and do them more
easily. That's why a nastyware program called Gator wound up on
my computer.
When Jeff McFadden founded Gator in 1998, he wanted to use Net
technology to do the kind of advertising he couldn't do in print
or on TV. He figured technology could track what people actually
did online so advertisers could craft their pitches more effectively,
and then deliver them at the opportune moment.
If that was all he did, McFadden's company wouldn't be much different
than many others that were trying to do the same thing. The difference
is that McFadden figured out a way to get me to download the program
that would track my surfing. He designed his program to be helpful
to me, so I wanted to download it. And I did.
Gator remembers my passwords for all kinds of sites. It helps
me fill in online shopping forms. That makes my life easier.
Advertisers like Motorola love Gator because they use it to gather
data about what folks like me do online. Then, when I visit a
site that has cell phone information, Gator delivers a pop-up
telling me what Motorola has to offer.
So, what's the problem? There isn't a privacy problem if I don't
mind Motorola and other advertisers getting the information that
they get from Gator and other nastyware programs. But there could
still be a computer performance problem.
That's because many of us have several nastyware programs on
our computer. Most of them run all the time and every one uses
up memory when it runs. A tech support friend of mine says that
he suspects nastyware whenever someone calls him because their
computer is running slower and slower. He's usually right.
To keep this stuff off your computer, just don't download it.
Most nastyware is presented as helpful, a program that will help
you do things or save you money. That sounds good.
But the details of what the nastyware part of what the program
will do are usually hidden deep in the User Licensing Agreement.
Most of us don't bother reading User Licensing Agreements. We
click on "Agree" because we're impatient. And nastyware winds
up on our computer.
My advice: just say no unless you're know what you're getting.
Just say no unless you can remove the program. And, if you're
not sure, just say no.
If your computer is running slower than it used to, nastyware
could be the culprit. There are programs that will check your
computer for nastyware and get rid of the stuff you don't want.
Use them.
The fact is, my friend, that most nastyware problems are self-inflicted.
That means that both prevention and cure are up to you.
Top of page
This section
is about resources that will help you deal with nastyware. It turns
out that many of the sources for the individual resources have got
other things that will make your life with your computer easier
and more productive.
If you have recent versions of anti-virus software, you may already
have a program that will scour your computer for all manner of
adware and spyware. That's in addition to the fact that a updated
firewall and anti-virus programs will keep you safe from viruses,
Trojan horse programs, worms and more. The two most prominent
versions of this software are published by McAfee and Symantec.
I personally use Symantec's
Norton Internet Security software. Make your decision about
whether to use McAfee or
Symantec based on personal
preference. They both work well.
Once you've got your software, don't neglect the updates. Your
protection is only as good as your most recent update and the
subscription to the update service is very inexpensive.
There are also specialty programs that are designed just to deal
with nastyware. The two programs I suggest you use are Ad-Aware
and Spybot. Folks who are far more expert than me say that each
one catches stuff that the other misses. Good news. Both programs
are free. You can find them and many, many, many more resources
at Major
Geeks.
I mentioned Gator in my Postcard and I love that program because
it makes shopping and logging on to many different Web sites so
much easier. But while I was researching this Postcard, my son
Dave, who is, in my humble and unbiased opinion, the best computer
support tech in the known galaxy, recommended a program called
Roboform. Roboform does
what Gator does, except without the nastyware. As a bonus, it
can import your Gator info. This is another bit of free software.
Dave also recommends a book called Leo
LaPorte's 2004 Technology Almanac. If he LaPorte has done
a radio show about computers for years. His sense of what's helpful
and his ability to explain things make the book excellent for
those of us who are not professional computer support folks like
Dave. But if Dave thinks it's valuable, imagine how much we'll
think of it.
10 August 2004
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