Who respects online privacy? Certainly not the Attorney General. Shouldn’t personal depravity be one of the joys we hold dear? Isn’t that what being an American is all about? I mean if we want to make TV Land our homepage or contribute to losing political causes or view grandmothers in panties… it’s sick, but that should be our personal choice and no one else’s business damn it! The government has no right to snoop on what law abiding and tax paying U.S.Who respects online privacy? Certainly not the Attorney General. Shouldn’t personal depravity be one of the joys we hold dear? Isn’t that what being an American is all about? I mean if we want to make TV Land our homepage or contribute to losing political causes or view grandmothers in panties… it’s sick, but that should be our personal choice and no one else’s business damn it! The government has no right to snoop on what law abiding and tax paying U.S. citizens read, watch, listen to or enjoy. But truth be told, that’s not who we really need to fear. At least not at this point in time. So who represents the real threat?

I’m no Commie… Capitalism pays the bills and lets us “vogue on 100 spokes” in style (doesn’t Kid Rock rule?), BUT — and this is a big, nasty BUT — the aggregation of personal data for marketing goods, products and services threatens our privacy like an outhouse with a broken door.

Beware the threat that cloaks itself in the mask of “convenience”. Because before you know what has happened, your every nuance of being will be packaged and ready for demographic decimation.

There are many current threats, but let’s explore one of the most heinous: Spyware. No, this is not a Man From U.N.C.L.E. kit with a secret camera and decoder ring. Spyware is a “tattletale” application that collects information from specific areas (such as forms) and then sends it to another company without your knowledge or permission. Unlike cookies, which are served by websites and are easily managed and deleted, spyware is usually a robust and full application that not only hides its existence, but may prove difficult, if not impossible for the average computer user to detect or delete. Spyware arrives (usually via download) bundled with a free software program of some kind. Once on your drive the application secretly installs itself and goes to work. For example, the registration data entered when registering for the “free” product is added to other related information, and sent to a third party server that sorts through this data to identify specific product offers with which to bombard you.

As with everything in life there is a natural progression of development. What started as a spark evolved into thermonuclear atomic bombs. So it was inevitable that simple Spyware gave way to VX2 – a spyware manifestation that must have been developed by some mad scientist like Dr. No. Aptly named, as it has the same moniker as one of the most virulent nerve agent components known to man – VX2 debuted as “Transponder” and appears to be intricately linked to a company in Las Vegas known as Blackstone Data. When you install some free or shareware programs, VX2 “piggybacks” and sets up shop at the same time. It would appear that Mindset, which also bundles VX2 and shares an identical privacy policy with VX2 is simply another vehicle for one company’s distribution.

VX2 grabs information like the FBI in a chat room. Snug and cozy in its own directory on your hard drive, this vermin not only records your web browsing activity but the personal data you enter into forms. But wait… it doesn’t end there. VX2 has a ravenous appetite. Your software configuration and hardware profiles are just more tasty morsels for this carnivorous beast. VX2 belches forth this data to a third party administrative server that regurgitates your cyber identity and incessantly pushes enter and exit consoles to your browser. The sad part is that it would appear these pop-ups originate from the web page you just happen to be viewing at the time, thus causing you to curse the innocent merchant or content provider. Have they no shame?! But, on the bright side, couldn’t this technology be used to blanket the websites of Osama bin Laden with messages espousing love and understanding? Or tolerance? Or human rights for women? The possibilities are boundless!

The counter position is anti-spyware, and here is a gem: Ad-aware by Lavasoft (www.lavasoft.de). This application is distributed free of charge, updated constantly, and downloads and installs seamlessly. From first-hand experience it has my recommendation. You can scan the entire computer, selected drives or partitions, memory or registry. Some of the “parasites” it detects are: Adware, Alexa 1.0-5.0, Aureate v1.0,2.0 + 3.0, Comet Cursor v1.0 and v2.0, Cydoor, Doubleclick, DSSAgent, EverAd, eZula, Expedioware, Flyswat, Gator, Hotbar 1+2, OnFlow, TimeSink v1.0,v2.0 and v5.0, Web3000, Webhancer, Transponder, Wnad, ZapSpot, SurfPlus, AdvertBar, NetPal, and CashBar.

A full sweep on my 30-gig box took about ten minutes and bingo! I found 4 different intrusive components. A couple of mouse clicks later and it was good to go. It just goes to show there are still some good guys out there patrolling Metropolis to ensure truth, justice and the American way.

In a perfect world the rule should be that if you bundle software you must let the user know. There should be no “user agreement” for more than one application. You should agree that each program installed is with your knowledge and permission. Failure to adhere to this simple code of ethics taints the entire freeware/shareware/trialware industry. People will simply be afraid that if they download a program their computer will rat them out or blow up. I mean it’s scary to have sex with total strangers, but then the payoff is incredible. But who makes a rubber that fits over your computer? Well… Ad-aware may be the answer.

Bill Adler is President of CyberScrub LLC, a security firm specializing in Internet privacy solutions. For more information please visit www.cyberscrub.com.