The New York Times > New York Region > New York Sues a Marketer on Use of Internet Spyware

The New York Times > New York Region > New York Sues a Marketer on Use of Internet Spyware: "In recent years, companies have tried to sneak what consumer advocates call parasitic software into computers that tracks users' browsing habits, but government inquiries into such practices have been rare, said Ben Edelman, a Harvard University researcher who studies spyware. Last year the Federal Trade Commission brought suit against two companies that made false claims to induce users to install their programs, he said.
The spyware technology erodes the trust of customers, slows their computer functions and wastes time deleting it, all things that hurt e-commerce, said Ari Schwartz, associate director at the Center for Democracy and Technology, a nonprofit group that advocates for Internet privacy."