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Spyware Blocker
By now anyone who has a computer or knows someone who does, has
heard about spyware. Spyware is similar to the notorious computer
viruses and worms in that it potentially can harm a person's
information stored on a hard drive. Yet spyware is also a means by
which this same information can be stolen from your computer and so
used to illegally utilize your credit cards and bank account. This
technology has been facilitated by downloads with spyware embedded
into it.
While this sounds almost surreal and a distant problem unrelated to
most people, the fact is that over 1 in 2 computers in America is so
infected. Further, in terms of cold hard numbers, the reality is
that tens of thousands of people have suffered from the more serious
effects of this software, including having all of their savings
account cleaned out without their knowledge. As well, spyware is one
of the leading means by which identity theft is carried out.
To date, while it is illegal to download spyware onto a person's
computer without their knowledge or consent, legal loopholes and
user ignorance has helped most spyware manufacturers from
prosecution, almost giving thieves a red carpet in their industry.
In fact, while there have been companies that sell one type of
spyware blocker or another to stop these insidious programs, some of
the companies which manufacture spyware software have actually tried
to sue these spyware blocker companies from barring their particular
programs.
While this sounds almost unimaginable, stranger still is that while
legislators have attempted to make the disbursement of such heinous
software illegal, the attempts have failed repeatedly. Amongst other
reasons, this is due to lobbying on the part of the aforementioned
companies. As an analogy, this would be the same as a collective of
thieves working together to wine & dine the senators and other
congressional members for the purpose of making theft legal.
Now, thankfully, a new 'spyware blocker' law is being written which
is gaining a large momentum to alleviate this problem. If
successful, the Federal Trade Commission will become the
governmental body overseeing enforcement, along with the subsequent
services of district attorneys. This law will target not only
distributors of spyware, but of adware as well.
Should the spyware blocker proposal not pass into law, however, it
is up to every individual to write to his or her newspaper editorial
page and to local and state representatives, to make more people
aware of this problem.
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