Adoko - Helping to Remove Spyware
Who are we?
Welcome to Adoko - the website strongly against the growing trend of Spyware.
The term malware, that is, programs that are developed with the purpose of causing harm to your system in the past referred to Viruses or Trojan Horse type programs. However, more commonly Spyware and some so-called adware is also fitting into this category.
We are dedicated to protecting your privacy online against Spyware, browser hijackers, adware and other malware type programs which are there for one purpose, to make a profit from you. In almost every case I've seen they make their money by installing programs which spy on what you view on the Internet.
Spyware has begun to get some press attention over the past year, with a growing concern about exactly what type of information is passed between you and the advertising companies. webs2@adoko.com
What can Spyware do?
If you haven't already taken any measures in to protecting your privacy and download 'free' programs from the Internet (particularly file-sharing applications like Kazaa), it's very likely as your reading this right now, there is some hidden program on your PC (Spyware, browser hijacker or other) which could do doing anything like monitoring every page you visit using your browser and then sending it to a company for advertising purposes. Some of these malware programs are even more intrusive and log your keystrokes (keyloggers) and send it to a remote location, hence can potentially reveal your passwords, private emails, credit card information, and documents etc. Popular Spyware programs at the moment include CoolWebSearch or ISearch.
Unfortunately this type of practise is not considered illegal nor is Spyware considered a virus because they do actually inform you - normally at the point of install. Of course they make sure the average person will not be aware of any Spyware type program being installed as they hide their intentions as much as they can (legally within their disclaimer - usually hidden at the bottom somewhere).
Be warned that Kazaa doesn't mention anything about Spyware in their program when you click on "Your Privacy and Security" from the main site. Also, note that although BearShare gives the impression that it's 'Spyware clean', read a little closer and you'll notice that it's only the version you've got to pay for that doesn't have the Spyware included.
How can I remove Spyware?
If you think you may be infected or just want to protect yourself in future we have plenty of resources here. If you are looking to remove Spyware then I would recommend viewing our downloads page. The programs "Ad-aware" and "Spybot - Search and Destroy" are great and free to use and can, in most cases remove all traces of Spyware from your system. You can also try our Message Board which should hopefully have someone to help you if you have a problem.
This article sums up the problems with spyware quite nicely. It also discusses enforcing the new law against Spyware companies to protect users privacy.