Spyware

Spyware is computer software that is installed secretly on a personal computer to intercept or take partial organize over the user's interaction with the computer, without the user's informed consent.

While the term spyware suggests software that secretly monitors the user's actions, the functions of spyware expand well beyond simple monitoring. Spyware programs can collect different types of personal information, but can also interfere with user control of the computer in other ways, such as installing extra software, redirecting Web browser activity, or diverting advertising revenue to a third party. In an effort to increase the considerate of spyware, a more formal classification of its included software types is captured under the term privacy-invasive software.

In response to the appearance of spyware, a small industry has sprung up dealing in anti-spyware software. Running anti-spyware software has become a extensively recognized element of computer security best practices for Microsoft Windows desktop computers. A number of jurisdictions have approved anti-spyware laws, which usually target any software that is secretly installed to control a user's computer.