Adware

Adware or "advertising-supported software" is any software application in which advertisements are displayed while the program is running. These applications include additional code that displays the ads in pop-up windows or through a bar that appears on a computer screen. The justification for adware is that it helps recover programming development cost and helps to hold down the price of the application for the user--and, of course, to give programmers a profit?, which helps to motivate them.

Some adware programs have been criticized for occasionally including code that tracks a user's personal information and passes it on to third parties, without the user's authorization or knowledge. This practice has been dubbed spyware and has prompted an outcry from computer security and privacy advocates, including the [Electronic Privacy Information Center]?. This feature is not, however, an essential feature of adware per se; that is, one can easily design an adware program that does not track a user's personal information.

A number of software applications are available to help computer users search for and remove adware programs.

External links:

• http://grc.com