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Privacy Rights in the Digital Age

Spyware

by Gretchen Nobahar

In general, software that performs certain behaviors, generally without appropriately obtaining the user's consent first. With so many types of malicious software in the Internet, users must be aware of what spyware is and what spyware does. Spyware generally performs certain behaviors, including (1) advertising, (2) collecting personal information, and (3) changing the configuration of the user's computer. Spyware is often associated with software that displays advertisements (known as adware) or software that tracks personal or sensitive information.

Not all software that has advertisements or tracks user online activities is harmful. For example, a user may sign up for a free service and in return for the service, she or he must agree to receive targeted ads. If the user understands these terms and agrees to them, the user may decide that this trade-off is worthwhile. The user may also agree to let the company track his or her online activities to determine which ads to show the individual. For any software program, the user must understand what the software will do and have agreed to install the software on his or her computer.

Detecting spyware can often be difficult process because most spyware is intended to be difficult to remove. Spyware that changes the computer's configuration can be annoying and can cause the computer to slow down or crash.

Spyware can alter the web browser's homepage or search page, or add additional components to the browser that users may not want. Spyware also makes it difficult for the user to change the settings. One common tactic is that spyware is covertly installed along with the software a user may want, such as a music or video file-sharing program.

Whenever a user installs software on a computer, he or she must carefully read all disclosures, including the license agreement and privacy statement. Sometimes the inclusion of unwanted software in a given software installation is documented, but it might appear at the end of a license agreement or privacy statement.

Further Reading

1 

Aycock, John Daniel. Spyware and Adware. New York: Springer, 2011.

2 

Bennett, Colin J. The Privacy Advocates: Resisting the Spread of Surveillance. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2008.

3 

Erbschloe, Michael. Trojans, Worms, and Spyware: A Computer Security Professional's Guide to Malicious Code. Amsterdam: Elsevier Butterworth Heinemann, 2005.

4 

Marzolf, Julie Schwab. Online Privacy. New York: Gareth Stevens Pub., 2013.

Citation Types

Type
Format
MLA 9th
Nobahar, Gretchen. "Spyware." Privacy Rights in the Digital Age, edited by Christopher T. Anglim & JD, Salem Press, 2016. Salem Online, online.salempress.com/articleDetails.do?articleName=PRDA_0202.
APA 7th
Nobahar, G. (2016). Spyware. In C. Anglim & JD (Ed.), Privacy Rights in the Digital Age. Salem Press. online.salempress.com.
CMOS 17th
Nobahar, Gretchen. "Spyware." Edited by Christopher T. Anglim & JD. Privacy Rights in the Digital Age. Hackensack: Salem Press, 2016. Accessed September 17, 2025. online.salempress.com.