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Adware is free software that displays advertising while the user is online. It collects user information for profiling purposes and is considered a security risk. Some programs include adware without the user’s knowledge. Users should use spyware and virus scanners to keep their computer safe.
Adware is software that is freely available for download, but differs from freeware in that it is sponsored by advertising. In many cases, adware can be a type of Internet application that runs while the user is online, providing a live feed of changing ads, as opposed to embedded static or limited advertising. It is a close cousin of spyware, as many programs collect user information to send to advertisers for profiling purposes to serve targeted ads.
In the early days of the dot com boom, advertisers overestimated the response consumers would have to aggressive online advertising, and many dot coms that relied on sponsor advertising revenue went bankrupt. At the height of the advertising rampage, some Internet Service Providers (ISPs) were even offering free Internet services in exchange for using adware that ran banners and feeds on every page. When it became clear that people didn’t want to suffer aggressive advertising, even to get something for free, most ISPs switched to paid services, abandoning the advertising interface.
A programmer might choose to create adware to collect advertising fees to offset the cost of maintaining a program in active development. However, it is generally viewed unfavorably by the Internet community, and many of today’s most popular anti-spyware programs scan for and alert you to the presence of installed adware. The software is considered a security risk and Internet users are advised not to install it.
Despite this, there are many adware programs on the Internet, some of which are bundled with other programs and installed without your knowledge. Some popular peer-to-peer file sharing software includes adware, as do numerous computer desktop modification programs. Many of these programs claim that they are not spyware because the Terms of Use agreements that accompany the programs somehow disclose that user information may be collected and reported for advertising purposes.
In some cases, a software will be available in a fully functional trial version, but will include advertisements if the computer user does not pay for the software by the end of the trial period. If the user pays for the software, all features will be enabled without advertising. Such programs may or may not collect profiling information.
To keep a computer safe, users should use a good spyware scanner as well as a virus scanner.
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