Microsoft white paper nails spyware
Some people ain’t got no mammas. How else could you explain why spyware and adware creators never learned to keep their hands offa’ other people’s stuff?
Fortunately Microsoft just bought a company that makes one of the best antispyware applications…
But what is spyware? The question has taken on legal dimensions as companies that use it are suing companies that make software for removing it. Their contention is that the obnoxious software they create serves a legitimate purpose and was “chosen by the consumer.” (Yeah, right.)
Microsoft, lifting this burden on its broad shoulders, has published a white paper to analyze the problem and define what constitutes “unwanted software.” Their criteria are very clear and strong, both for the continuum of harm and how the user is affected.
If you like this kind of geeky stuff, it’s definitely worth a read. Expect this white paper to surface in court as the more foolhardy spyware companies sue Microsoft over their new anti-spyware application.
You can download the Microsoft Anti-Spyware application here. I’ve been testing, and it has some advanced features including the ability to scan network drives and even help with configuring little-known Windows settings that affect spyware vulnerability. It’s a good move for Microsoft.
(You may be thinking; “What?! DOF is saying something nice about Microsoft? It’s the apocalypse! You could be right. Don’t look for this to happen very often.)
I think MS has gone crazy making Defender part of One Care – and requiring money for it. Indeed, there are FREE solutions for antivirus/antispyware protection out there, which successfully compete with big players on the PC security market, – Microsoft could deploy a similar software built-in as Notepad or Paint. Simple and working, that’s all many users would be happy with.