Spyware Removal

I've said it before, but it bears repeating. Spyware is heinous and evil. It is a criminal trespass of the most personal kind. We are all foot soldiers in the battle against spyware. I'll stop short of saying that all those that force spyware upon us should be tarred, feathered, drawn, quartered, and left to roast in the hot desert sun. I won't suggest it, but it is a pleasant thought.

Spyware has become a business model, not just for those who cram it down our personal computer's throats, but for those who remove it, as well. It's often clear who are black hats and who are the white hats. But in other cases, it is not. Those who parade spyware in the guise of spyware removal are among the most heinous of all.

I'm not just a writer, I'm a voracious reader. I read from the time I wake up in the morning until I pass out at night. And I read just about anything. So when in the space of half an hour, I see two mentions of spyware removal in two very different local publications, it got me thinking (again).

It started out when I read an article in a local newspaper that told the story of a poor soul who had to resort to paying a considerable sum to have the spyware removed from their PC. How considerable? Let's just say that poor soul ended up roughly $400 poorer.

Four Hundred Dollars. That's enough to buy a brand new entry-level PC.

I was sifting through the daily mail when the back page of a shopper circular caught my eye. A local computer shop's advertisement promised to quickly rid their customer's computers of spyware. The ad didn't mention the cost of the spyware removal.

That's when the gears started turning between my ears.

Spyware, in its insidious way, creates work as it (negatively) impacts our productivity.

Egads! Spyware as economic stimulus? Call Alan Greenspan!

How long will it be until we see Dell, Gateway, and HP offer trade-in deals for spyware-infested PCs? "PC infested with spyware? Trade it in on a new Super Wombat X700 and we'll give you $400!"

One obvious way to avoid spyware is to simply switch platforms. The folks that use Macs, Linux, or Sun boxes aren't faced with the plague that we have to deal with on the Windows platform. Yes fans, this is the Windows Fanatic, but my battles with spyware have led me to spend much more time on my Macs this year.

True, but sad. Why should an unwanted intruder (as if any might be wanted) force us to change platforms?

I have never once clicked OK in a dialog box that asked me if I wanted my PC to become infested with spyware ...