Who's Spying On You?

Spyware is a general term used to describe software that performs certain behaviours such as advertising, collecting personal information, or changing the operation of your computer, generally without obtaining your permission first.

Spyware is typically created to monitor your internet usage, gather information that you type, or force adverts upon your desktop either by pop-ups or by hijacking your web browser to point to various websites.

Spyware is generally classified as software that installs itself without a user's permission and doesn't clearly or honestly tell users what personal information it is gathering and how it is using it and can affect your computer with results that vary from minor annoyances to causing your computer to slow down or crash. Spyware isn't the best-written software in the world and commonly causes system instability and the dreaded blue screen of death.

Software vendors offer anti-spyware tools to permit users to scan their computers for recognised spyware and remove it.  Some advertising software can be identified as malicious by trying to re-install itself after you have removed it

Spyware should not be taken lightly, your personal information could be recorded with a variety of techniques; one particularly nasty breed of software is the key-logger which can essentially capture every keystroke you type, your web browsing history and in some cases even email a screen shot of what you are doing on your computer at various times throughout the day without you even knowing. Spyware infringes on your privacy, because you are usually unaware what information is being released and what happens to it.  Finally, you may be inconvenienced as a result of what is subsequently done with the information.