Can You Trust Your Spyware Protection?

[The Hunter]

Andrew Brandt

From the July 2005 issue of PC World magazine

Posted Thursday, June 23, 2005

The next time you run a scan with your anti-spyware tool, it might miss some programs. Some adware companies, arguing that their software is benign, have petitioned anti-spyware firms to stop warning consumers about their software. Other companies have resorted to sending cease-and-desist letters that threaten legal action.

In the past few months, at least two anti-spyware firms' products temporarily stopped detecting some kinds of adware--a process called delisting. Last year, Lavasoft (maker of Ad-Aware) delisted advertising software WhenU from its detection database. Lavasoft told PC World that the delisting happened as the result of an employee error, and the company quickly added WhenU back to Ad-Aware's detection list. Computer Associates, which makes the PestPatrol anti-spyware tool, temporarily delisted adware made by Claria after Claria asked to have its software reevaluated, but Computer Associates later restored detection of Claria to PestPatrol.

http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,121583,00.asp