Patriotism? - No, Just "Invasive Adware"

It sounds innocent enough, even patriotic. “Show your support for our troops by downloading our free cursors!” says MyFreeCursors.com. One click, and your mouse pointer is an American flag. But that click will cost you. It gives the company behind the Web site, publicly traded eUniverse Inc., the right to watch your every move on the Internet.

Those who are induced by the offer to “Remember our men and women in uniform” might not think to click on the tiny “Privacy” link at the bottom of the site. But it’s essential reading. By downloading the software from MyFreeCursors, users also agree to install three other programs, including “KeenValue,” which is made by eUniverse.

“Using KeenValue, eUniverse anonymously collects the following information,” the privacy policy on MyFreeCursor.com indicates: “Web sites/pages viewed, The amount of time spent at some Web sites, Response to the Advertisements displayed, Standard web log information including IP address and system settings, What software is on your personal computer, Your first and last name, country, and five digit ZIP code, Your usage characteristics and preferences.”

What’s more, the policy indicates that eUniverse has the right to install other software in the future on the users’ computer — and uninstalling the cursor program won’t remove this additional software from their system.

Anthony Porter, co-founder of SpywareGuide.com, a site devoted to informing consumers about surreptitious software, said he started receiving complaints about eUniverse’s KeenValue software two weeks ago.

“KeenValue just came on our radar,” he said. “We [received] a couple of complaints from people wanting to know how to get rid of it ... in the past two weeks.”

Porter agreed with Smith’s assertion that KeenValue wasn’t spyware — he called it simply “invasive adware.”

How to Flush Out This and Other Spyware From Your PC

Spybot Search and Destroy

While I am still bypassing MSNBC cable news, the internet site has not earned my ire. I use ad-aware, another program instead of Spybot S&D which may be more comprehensive and Ad-aware has been crticized for slow updates.