Yahoo embraces anti-spyware

Yahoo on Thursday is expected to release an upgrade for its downloadable toolbar to help people detect and remove spyware, or malicious files, on their PCs.

For now, the Web portal will be testing the technology, which has been supplied by anti-spyware company PestPatrol. It will offer the toolbar upgrade only to a select number of people at beta.toolbar.yahoo.com, Yahoo spokeswoman Stephanie Iwamasa said.

The software can perform a high-level scan of files on a PC to detect viruses or other applications that were installed surreptitiously and are used to spy on computer behavior.

"The toolbar is the best place to present this application because of its accessibility--you can log on and use your toolbar from any machine--and because it's a persistent application in the browser window," Iwamasa said.

Yahoo joins other companies in the fight against the growth of spyware. EarthLink recently introduced anti-spyware technology for its subscribers. And last week, Google urged software makers to follow common-sense guidelines when writing programs that embed themselves on Internet users' PCs. It stated that the programs should be clearly labeled, permit consumers to disable them, and not perform actions such leaking personal information.

Interest is also growing at the state and federal government levels in regulating and perhaps even banning adware and spyware. Utah has already enacted such a law, and the U.S. House of Representatives and the Federal Trade Commission have convened hearings on the issue in the past few weeks.

A big problem in Spain too

Spyware is a real problem in Spain, where I live in. Any kind of computer of some friends that I've checked out have been infected with lots of spyware... When I uninstall it, the computer runs much more fast and reboot much faster!

A big problem in Spain too

Spyware is a real problem in Spain, where I live in. Any kind of computer of some friends that I've checked out have been infected with lots of spyware... When I uninstall it, the computer runs much more fast and reboot much faster!

For which browser? There are many browsers!

Why doesn't the author tell us which browser this will be available on? I know most people use IE but many companies and ordinary people are starting to realize IE "sucks" for lack of a better term and are migrating to Mozilla, Firefox, or Opera.

Even CNET had this article:
Having used its desktop operating system monopoly to help trounce its primary rival Netscape, Microsoft has effectively abandoned significant browser development efforts. That's left companies with negligible market share such as Opera and Netscape's Mozilla open-source project to lead innovation in the field.

For example, IE 6, the latest version of Microsoft's Web browser, released in August 2001, does not yet offer a tool that automatically blocks Web pop-up advertising. Microsoft has promised pop-up blocking as part of a Windows XP upgrade due out later this summer known as SP2. That puts it well behind Opera and others that have offered pop-up blocking for months in response to overwhelming consumer demand.


http://news.com.com/Microsoft+behind+%2412+million+payment+to+Opera/2100-1032_3-5218163.html?tag=nefd.lede

For which browser? There are many browsers!

Why doesn't the author tell us which browser this will be available on? I know most people use IE but many companies and ordinary people are starting to realize IE "sucks" for lack of a better term and are migrating to Mozilla, Firefox, or Opera.

Even CNET had this article:
Having used its desktop operating system monopoly to help trounce its primary rival Netscape, Microsoft has effectively abandoned significant browser development efforts. That's left companies with negligible market share such as Opera and Netscape's Mozilla open-source project to lead innovation in the field.

For example, IE 6, the latest version of Microsoft's Web browser, released in August 2001, does not yet offer a tool that automatically blocks Web pop-up advertising. Microsoft has promised pop-up blocking as part of a Windows XP upgrade due out later this summer known as SP2. That puts it well behind Opera and others that have offered pop-up blocking for months in response to overwhelming consumer demand.


http://news.com.com/Microsoft+behind+%2412+million+payment+to+Opera/2100-1032_3-5218163.html?tag=nefd.lede

we need more antispyware

no one should be able to invade your privacy w/o probable cause

we need more antispyware

no one should be able to invade your privacy w/o probable cause

ironic. yahoo is the biggest hijack software maker in china

Ok. My first reaction after reading this news is LMAO. Yahoo is the biggest hijack software maker from its infamous 3721 Internet Explorer plug-in. This little program will automatically install itself when you visit more than 50% of chinese websites. As a result, this program hijacks the address bar in browser and fill it up with a lot of crap you dont want to see. Worst of all, it installs itself as Windows Device Driver and injects DLLs to every running process in the system. If you are Windows programmer, you know what I mean. Why? Simply it wants to prevent people from removing it.

This product has been listed as malicous software in many anti-spyware orgonizations. Yahoo does provide a so called uninstall program but in fact does not work at all. I regard myself as hardcore C/C++ programmer and it takes me more than a day to remove it from my system.

Yahoo, I wish you can regulate yourself before taking on the others.

ironic. yahoo is the biggest hijack software maker in china

Ok. My first reaction after reading this news is LMAO. Yahoo is the biggest hijack software maker from its infamous 3721 Internet Explorer plug-in. This little program will automatically install itself when you visit more than 50% of chinese websites. As a result, this program hijacks the address bar in browser and fill it up with a lot of crap you dont want to see. Worst of all, it installs itself as Windows Device Driver and injects DLLs to every running process in the system. If you are Windows programmer, you know what I mean. Why? Simply it wants to prevent people from removing it.

This product has been listed as malicous software in many anti-spyware orgonizations. Yahoo does provide a so called uninstall program but in fact does not work at all. I regard myself as hardcore C/C++ programmer and it takes me more than a day to remove it from my system.

Yahoo, I wish you can regulate yourself before taking on the others.