Windows 98
Preventing the Spyware within
your programs from "Phoning Home"
Steven Spielberg captured the worlds attention with the cute character ET. All ET wanted to do was phone home and our hearts went out to the little guy.
So the idea of phoning home was adopted by the software writers. Many programs contain this Spyware who's sole function is to "Phone Home" every time your computer goes on line.
Hidden deep in the license agreement which few of us ever read is an admittance that this program will send back information to some organisation or another. So in accepting the license agreement, you have consented to this action.
But the exchange of information from your computer cannot be seen as it is a covert operation.
The purpose of this information is not clear to me, and as it is hidden from my view I become very suspicious that the motives behind this information exchange may not be innocent or honourable. After all why is there a need to hide if the motives are innocent.
Having installed Zone Alarm a few years ago, I was amazed to find my computer constantly trying to ping the IBM web site. A web site that I have never been to and my computer was not IBM. So what and why did a program within my software wish to communicate with IBM. Until I installed Zone alarm, I had no idea that this was happening.
It was then I came across the Opt Out program developed by Steve Gibson that very effectively stopped this exchange of information by removing the "Phone Home elements" from within the offending talkative programs.
Opt Out identified many other programs within my computer and removed the Spyware element.
Opt Out is now out of date and has been replaced with a program called Ad-Aware. Once I installed this program it very quickly detected a further 13 examples of Spyware and removed the talkative elements.
This is a freeware program which can be downloaded here
lavasoftusa web site
So with both Zone Alarm and Ad-Aware installed and running, your privacy and security of your computer will be greatly enhanced
