Trilight Zone

[digital8]

While the security community typically assumes that users are unaware of installing spyware bundled with other programs, some users knowingly accept adware and spyware on their computers as a trade-off for free software. iMesh has begun bundling Marketscore with it file-sharing application, rerouting all of the user's internet traffic through Marketscore's server for analysis, including transactions requiring passwords, credit cards, and bank account numbers. While many users complained about this spyware, other users argued that it is necessary for free software. A number of colleges, such as Columbia University and Cornell, have blocked Marketscore servers from their networks, earning student complaints. Marketscore says their software should not be classified as spyware or adware, since it does not install without the user's permission and tells users what information will be collected. Marketscore also offers an e-mail antivirus service, using Symantec technology, that requires users to route all their e-mails through Marketscore servers. Some users view it as a low-cost alternative to antivirus subscriptions. Marketscore also has a Webtrust Cyber Certification for its privacy policy from Ernst & Young, though Pennsylvania State University warns its students that Marketscore can change its policy at any time and cannot guarantee that future proprietors of its database will abide by it.
http://www.wired.com/news/technolog...2,65906,00.html