| Adware, also known as
an Adbot, can do a number of things from profile
your online surfing and spending habits to popping
up annoying ad windows as you surf. In some cases
Adware has been bundled (i.e. peer-to-peer file
swapping products) with other software without the
user's knowledge or slipped in the fine print of
a EULA (End User License Agreement).
Not all Adware is bad, but often users are annoyed
by adware's intrusive behavior. Keep in mind that
by removing Adware sometimes the program it came
bundled with for free may stop functioning. Some
Adware, dubbed a “BackDoor Santa” may
not perform any activity other than to profile
a user’s surfing activity for study.
AdWare can be obnoxious in that it performs “drive-by
downloads”. Drive-by downloads are accomplished
by providing a misleading dialogue box or other
methods of stealth installation. Many times users
have no idea they have installed the application.
Often Adware makers make their application difficult
to uninstall.
A "EULA" or End User License Agreement
is the agreement you accept when you click “OK”
or “Continue” when you are installing
software. Many users never bother to read the
EULA.
It is imperative to actually read this agreement
before you install any software. No matter how
tedious the EULA, you should be able to find out
the intent BEFORE you install the software. If
you have questions about the EULA e-mail the company
and ask them for clarification.
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