http://encyclopedia2.tfd.com/Spyware

spyware transmits information in the background, Not in the Readme !!
For example, it might say that the program performs anonymous profiling.

http://www.tfd.com/Spyware

1. Software that secretly gathers information about a person or organization.

Google Spyware? I'm stunned.

lol it's not spyware. I use Google Chrome and love it's speed. Many programs allow you to optionally send usage statistics nowadays. It's the results of these statistics that help them figure out what needs to be fixed in future updates.

http://arstechnica.com/microsoft/news/2010/03/microsoft-google-chrome-doesn-your-privacy-microsoft-google-chrome-doesnt-respect-your-privacy.ars

Microsoft: Google Chrome doesn't respect your privacy
"Watch a demo on how Google Chrome collects every keystroke you make and how Internet Explorer 8 keeps your information private through two address bars and In Private browsing."
See for yourself: download Fiddler and type something into the address bar on Chrome and watch how Fiddler reacts when you have Search Suggestions on and off. Then do the same in both IE8 fields.

untick all on new setup windows 7 with ThreatFire said spyware & rootkit Search with Yahoo so check with http://www.virustotal.com/
http://www.virustotal.com/reanalisis.html?29133962ccf97017876e2a59a345433a326ea9debced53451c44e39707f36800-1246944063
http://www.virustotal.com/analisis/646eb6ddc0ffbe70fee3160865706b47d0e2938eea783905248bec58648380b2-1246708528
just some I check, I try iron it's chrome with no spyware & no ads
http://www.srware.net/en/software_srware_iron_chrome_vs_iron.php

I must say....despite the fact that it has all of the parts of spyware, it is missing one key part. It's optional. You can choose to send back your results or not. How many spyware programs do you know of that let you choose whether it can spy on you or not?

http://www.favbrowser.com/google-chrome-spyware-confirmed/

http://harshad.wordpress.com/2008/09/03/google-unveils-chrome-the-browser-spyware-we-were-waiting-for/

http://www.freewarefiles.com/Google-Chrome_program_44156.html

http://www.surfchrome.com/index.php/home/news-list-mode/77-google-chrome-spyware

Solution

During install, simply don't click the checkmark under the TOS that states "Optional: Help make Chrome better by automatically sending usage statistics and crash reports to Google."
scan with a-squared and it take out the updater.

Google Earth Result about 2,630,000. scan with a-squared and it take out the key logger.

TYYYYY xxxxxx, ITS FINALLY GONE I LOVE U SO MUCH TYYYYYY

Well I sure didn't mean it to sound sound snappish, arrogant, condescending and dismissive. I guess that comes from 27 years of public service, but I never thought I was. Thanks for pointing it out to me.

For a non-english speaking person, you sure type it well. (a compliment) I did notice the AND in your next statement about being a woman. I don't understand that unless you meant to draw attention to it. But the fact is, it doesn't really matter to me if you are man or woman. I treat everyone the same. Always have always will. Are you assuming what sex I am just by the way I post?

What I meant by the dogs and cows simply means to describe it (the software or anything else for that matter) exactly what it actually is. A keylogger was meant to be used for the purpose I described earlier.

a) no, we are (so to speak) not friends. I have no friends in this forum, nor in any other public forum. I consider myself a polite visitor and member of GOATD forums.

b) you don't know how to take my post, archangel? I can explain:
I did not think, you were attacking me, but for me, as a non-english-native speaker AND as a woman, your post did sound snappish, arrogant, condescending and dismissive.
that is, why I wanted to reply in an hopefully equally snappish, arrogant, condescending and dismissive tone.

c) I did c&p, because I don't think, I can quote previous posts in a manner, that could make clear to which passage of preivous posts I was referring to.

d) my limited knowledge of english / US (?) mythology is in my way of understanding your analogy of the dogs and cows.

Its midnight here, I am off to sleep now.

ASM is short for ASseMble. I also write with hex and bin to. You made it clear (at least to me) what you want it for and really it doesn't make any difference to me. As I said and you even commented on that this was just an opinion. (well I think you did because I really don't know how to take your post)

Now lets point back to a couple other comments in your post because I don't know why you even c/p them. I don't care what xxxxxx needs one for either and never thought you knew (in fact I think he/she is a good person too).

This is one is funny. Don't fool yourself. Since the beginning of time, man has preyed on the flaws of others for personal gain. If someone can make a buck (and thats not a bad thing either) they will.

Since the creation of the internet, a new form of communication, there has been a boom for software of all types. Your imagination is your only limit. Now lets call dogs (dogs) and cows (cows). It started off in the form of emails because that was first. People began communicating with others and yes began relationships. Then the IM thing came in. Now if I had the vision, I would have wrote the very first program that logged keystrokes or recorded instant messages and made millions off of others that were afraid of what there companion was doing online.

I'm not blaming the software or the gun. It's us.

If you thought that my previous posts were attacks on you, your wrong. No need to get defensive, we are all friends (so to speak) here.

//h again ender. The use of keyloggers to my knowledge is not illegal if you admin the PC ie. home or even office if your job is over security and everyone on the network has been advised.//

hy archangel, yes, i agree , i cannot imagine using keyloggers if you are in certain positions, or for you own, can be deemed to be illegal. I never said otherwise.

//keyloggers are mainly used for monitoring a spouse's activity. I think everyone will agree with that statement. As far as children go, there are other software to limit there activity.//
I dont know, what keyloggers are used for, i never used one before having found smarttype through GOATD. But what i have read is, that its mainly for stealing bank account logins and other passwords.

//I know there are some legit uses for logging ones strokes (key strokes that is). But then again, when I'm compiling or decompiling or using asm software, it has become automatic clicking the "Save" key frequently.//
What does ASM software means?

//But BuBBy makes a good point. You can make the most innocent thing in the universe bad. This is compounded when it is offered to the masses. No big deal though, to each there own.//

and i meant to say exactly the same with my statement:
//because its clear, not any software per se is "good" or "bad" or immoral, but the circumestances where i want to use it.//
"things" are not bad or innocent. human beings are. mostly bad. I believe, none of us are innocent *g*
so i dont see a point in blaming software for our flaws in our genetic makeup.

// I'm sure you and xxxxxxx have a need for it. //
I have no clue, how xxxxxx wants to use keyloggers.
I know, if i had not found smartdiary, i would still looking for a keylogger for exactly the reason i already said above, and if i may repeat , so that you "can be sure":

//´they have a function called smart diary, and I thought that is practically a keylogger, though not an invisible one.
I love that function, coz when win crashes or for whatever reason I am typing into any comments boxes and its lost, I can recover my text from it. //

//We were just posting our thoughts on this public forum.//

yes, you do.
as do I. posting my thoughts on this in a public forum.

Hey again ender. The use of keyloggers to my knowledge is not illegal if you admin the PC ie. home or even office if your job is over security and everyone on the network has been advised.

Keyloggers are mainly used for monitoring a spouse's activity. I think everyone will agree with that statement. As far as children go, there are other software to limit there activity.

I know there are some legit uses for logging ones strokes (key strokes that is). But then again, when I'm compiling or decompiling or using asm software, it has become automatic clicking the "Save" key frequently.

But BuBBy makes a good point. You can make the most innocent thing in the universe bad. This is compounded when it is offered to the masses. No big deal though, to each there own. I'm sure you and xxxxxxx have a need for it. We were just posting our thoughts on this public forum.

You'll find what you need.

If they really were that desperate - they could just google 'free keylogger'.
It's not "rocket surgery".

//I'm wandering off a bit into the psych/conscience side of things - but I (personally) believe that a widespread giveaway and promotion of such a product is probably not a good thing (overall). //

i understand, so maybe, for the xxxxx person, who wanted that program, and when we assume, he/she has no malintention, you could just repeat the giveaway of smartdiary :D

so all could be happy :)

That keylogger is hidden in some software that extends trials and shareware times.

I was having this debate with someone else and thats how I know.

Perhaps if I use an analogy. (Probably not the best, but you get the idea)

Guns are not bad. They can be used for bad purposes though.
Lets give away free guns to everybody for 24 hours.
Anonymously. No questions asked.
We trust you will use them only for good purposes.
We know if you don't have a legit purpose for them,
you won't take one anyway - won't be tempted to see what you can do with them.

I think if something that can be misused is handed around on a silver platter, people who don't have a genuine need for the product may be more likely to experiment and "play".

Another example - people don't use warez because it might be difficult to find and there is the risk of trojans and viruses, or being caught by the authorities. What if the latest version of any program you wanted (pirated) could be found and downloaded by a search engine and there was a 100% chance it was clean from virus or trojan and there was no chance you would be caught? Even though it was wrong - would being spoonfed the "safe" contraband increase the likelyhood that people would do the wrong thing?

I'm wandering off a bit into the psych/conscience side of things - but I (personally) believe that a widespread giveaway and promotion of such a product is probably not a good thing (overall).

hi archangel, thanks again, and yes, i understand your explanation.
however , my initial confusion wasnt because i am not aware of what is illegal or not, but rather why bubby wanted all keyloggers to disappear.

because its clear, not any software per se is "good" or "bad" or immoral, but the circumestances where i want to use it.

so as far as i see:
i want the keylogger for myself = good. i see nothing illegal here.

i want keylogger to spy (invisibly and without knowledge of the other party) : bad , illegal.

NOT

Keylogger = bad.

Just trying to give you a hand ender. I don't have anything to hide from the spouse but I wouldn't want one. I think BuBBy and I both look at this on the same page. Its a right to privacy issue. I'm typing here in a public forum and I know it. But if my key's are being logged, the privacy is gone.

I'm a retired cop. If you are on the phone with Bob. If the phone is being tape recorded, at least one party in the conversation must be aware of it. So either you know it and are taping Bob. Or Bob knows it and is taping you. Now if I install a tape recorder on the line and I'm taping you and Bob, its illegal as hell.

Keyloggers HAVE to be third party in order to do what they are intended for because if the spouse or kids knew, they wouldn't use it. Then they'd use the cellphone! LOL

hi archangel, sorry, i didnt mean to really have a question, but rather was confused as why bubby seemed to be against keyloggers, //I would hope that all keyloggers would just disappear. // if we had smart type!
but now that he explained the difference between those two kind of software, my confusion has become obsolete :D

thanks again for all your hard work!

perhaps I should add that I also pointed out the blocked spots and why the last time she was here. This is supposed to be a Net-savvy kid, she has her own computer at home with internet access.

I suppose her parents have a 'net nanny' block on her, and I (only *adults* in this house normally) generally have a wide-open LAN>internet policy, as my research takes me some strange places at times- so perhaps once not behind a block she got to snooping what normally isn't available.

I dunno, but I certainly couldn't stay up all night to watch her, so what else makes sense?

Actually, there is a use *I've* found for a keylogger- home LAN with 4 nodes on aDSL, the wife uses the athlon XP 2200 for Pogo (gack) and that's about it. But when my granddaughter showed up for a weekend, she let her use it- unsupervised, and all night- and in addition to gobs of installed auto-run yahoo stuff (she IM's, but somehow missed the point when I told her OK on the IM but nothing else, and make sure it doesn't auto-start & auto-login) I had to clobber afterward I had to clean out spyware and a few virusoids. Funny that, since the antivirus had been turned off too...

So the next time she came over I put a free logger on there (and no, that machine has *nothing* private on it (on a pogo machine? right.) and added a batch of sites to the hosts file on that machine. It's firewalled off from the rest of the lan anyway, but still....

I wasn't worried about anyone knowing it was running, I didn't hide it, just avoiding having the wife cussing me because her machine was acting funny. I think there's a problem in that subbranch of the family. <sigh>

I agree. The only use I can see is spying on family that use the same PC. If its the spouse, you really need to solve a problem. If its children, you can restrict what they do and where they go on the internet. Also a good upbringing solves most issues before they start.

ender, Smart Type Assistant is in my top 3 favorite giveaways. I agree it certainly does have some keylogging functionality (The Smart Diary) - however unlike Ardamax - it isn't installed and designed to operate secretly and without detection or the knowledge of the user on the computer.

That is my problem with keyloggers - they are often used to obtain private information from a user without their knowledge or consent. Perhaps the difference comparing a tape recorder to a phone tap. The full knowledge and consent of the "logged" user makes all the difference.

Just like me Ender =)

You never asked your question ender. LOL

I have a question, we did have a tool called smart type assistant several month ago at GOTD , and I used it by default start up of windows.
they have a function called smart diary, and I thought that is practically a keylogger, though not an invisible one.

I love that function, coz when win crashes or for whatever reason I am typing into any comments boxes and its lost, I can recover my text from it.

so I think, keyloggers can be useful and harmful depends on how you use them.

I don't need a keylogger to spy on others (I am the sole user of my computer anyway) I just wanted one for myself.

hehehehe I'm many things, cool is a new one. Thanks

You cool Archangel..

Yes Lee, professional hackers do hack corp's and sites and report back to the company of any weakness that they found. This is done for a fee.

Then you have the hacker that exploits home pc's (also corps that have ssn's and cc info) to gain personal info ie cc number, dob and anything else which is a crime. I only know of sites that offer this service so they can check for weakness's in your system and sell you security software.

Hacks/Cracks/Patches and KeyGens are used to open software.
If you crack software, you have decompiled and inserted code to make it active. All a person has to do is install it and they have the full working software with no limitations or time limits.
If you hack software, a person has purchased and installed it, logged all entries made during the complete process. Then the copied all entries and placed them into a folder. The downloader installs the software and then copies everything into the directory which again makes the software full functioning.
A patch is close to the same as a hack but because it involves registry entries, a patch is created to insert them because most user's don't have the knowledge to place them in correctly.
And last, the key gen. Thats simply enough. Its software that one types a name and the key gen provides the license key/registration number and the software is opened.

Sorry for being so long in this post but I figured that the terms may come up and some may not know what they mean. And with this site, why does anyone need them.