Spyware Remains Elusive

Even 007 wasn't shadowed this much. These days, spyware operations are the most popular cybermarketing tool around ' and the most unpopular. Software designers and advertisers have joined forces to run a clandestine operation on millions of consumers across the country. The tracking, data mining, and browser hijacking files that these companies surreptitiously plant on a person's computer extract personal information for advertising purposes, often without the user's knowledge or consent, and they have become a growing concern to companies, individual consumers, and the government. Most importantly, as frustration and fear of spyware grow and cause more people to turn away from the Internet, e-commerce is threatened. How did we get to this point, and what are the chances of successful regulation?

6 minute read June 29, 2004 at 08:48 AM

By

Stewart A. Baker