NationStates Jolt Archive

Don't worry kids, I'm not hear to yell about my Conservaliberal views, or why I hate/love being American.

I'm hear to talk about adware and spyware. I had to reformat my computer thanks to those horrible little things. I understand that it is my responsibility to keep my computer clean from these. But it's getting out of hand.

Just today I clicked on a link to a website I visit often (no, it isn't porn) and BAM! Hundreds of popups and requests to make, "www.cumgirlz.com" my homepage.

Now, webpages open up as well, and their sole duty is to infect my computer with as much ad/spyware as possible until I close it. I'm tired of constantly cleaning out cookies, using Ad-Aware, and other crap every time I visit Newgrounds or something.

I'm considering writing my district's representative or something, because I believe this is an invasion of privacy and these things are just as bad as viruses.

There is a loophole that makes them not viruses: Companies may send as much ad/spyware they wish as long as it collects no PERSONAL data. Sure, it can monitor everything I do and collect every brit of info as long as they don't steal my name. This is the stupidest thing ever, and I think no company or website whatsoever should be able to watch everything I do from inside my own computer. Not to mention they can delete and add files at will.

Just my two pennies....

Firefox - www.getfirefox.com

Adaware you already know

Spybot S&D - security.kolla.de

With these three you need nothing else.

I have every single one of those and more. Firefox makes me cry because when I try to scroll it makes tabs, it's slow, and all the pages shake for some reason.

Yes, muhahaha, I am the most obnoxious and uncooperative person EVAR!

GIANT (http://www.giantcompany.com/)
Spybot Search & Destroy (http://www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html) (make sure to immunize,aslo get spyware blaster which spybot suggests itself)
Ad-Aware SE (http://www.majorgeeks.com/download506.html)
Hijack This (http://www.majorgeeks.com/download3155.html)

and bookworms doesnt know shit, i just had and removed the mother of all spyware/adware/hijacks, spybot and ad-aware get some stuff but not all of it, you need asinine amounts of protection. and GIANT is the best free one, it picks up stuff youd normally have to pay to remove

also id look into getting AVG free edition for home and running pandasoft, trend-micro homecall and mcafee online scanners periodically

edit: i tried spysweeper (not bad but pay and i think giant will do alot of the same stuff, or something, but it does block spy cookies (things picked up by ad-aware but not spybot s&d so immunize wotn block them and GIANT might not do that) spyware nuker 2004 (not to eb ocnfused with previous versions), spyware doctor, etc etc.

I never liked Firefox...it makes my computer sad. And I get tired of people telling me to change my browser every five minutes.
In any case, the other two things he has there are pretty good.

I remember at one point my comp got a nasty bug that slowed the internet, added a huge amount of mostly illigal favorites (Beastiality now, Hot Lesbian Incest, Free Legal Drugs!, wheee.)
Spy/adware laws are indeed bloody stupid. I would suggest that you send companies Emails containing programs similar to those they send you, or launch a massive spam-attack on their servers.
That was a joke, since it is well known that Myrth is a member of the FBI and CIA and will arrest anybody who speaks of such things.
I didnt say that.
O_O

While we're on the topic of computers, why does my NationStates info all go into the tiny box on the homepage? I'll get a pic soon.