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DAWN
Canada: DisAbled Women's Network Canada Shareware
& Freeware
Description "Adware" (not to be confused with this freeware Ad-aware) is known by many names - spyware, trackware, or even Big Brotherware. While producers of adware claim its purpose is merely to collect information about Internet habits in order to deliver ads tailored to a surfer's interests, privacy advocates are concerned about the potential misuse of this data. Where does it come from? Most likely it was installed alongside that free software widget that you downloaded just last week, without you even noticing. Ad-aware identifies and removes these surreptitiously (secretly) installed applications. Using updateable "reflists," which are sort of like antivirus DAT files, Ad-aware scours your system - including Registry and temporary Internet files - and looks for traces of recognized "adware" modules. When it's finished searching, it displays a list of what it found and lets you select the items you'd like to remove from your system. And when coupled with its companion program, RefUpdate, you're always assured of using the most comprehensive list of adware to search for. The main drawback is that some ad-supported programs, such as GoZilla Free, will no longer function if you remove their ad modules. If privacy is your main concern, Ad-aware will help keep you anonymous on the Web. The latest release detects even more adware modules and includes several minor fixes and improvements.
Pull the plug on "spyware" with this small, free tool. Spyware are small, hidden programs embedded in larger applications for the purpose of reporting information to advertisers. These programs are in some shareware or freeware programs because, unfortunately, this is the only way some software developers can pay their bills. If you are among those who don't want any part of this--and feel these hidden programs invade your privacy--you should definitely consider downloading Ad-aware. Lavasoft also offers an enhanced version, Ad-aware Plus, for $15 at their website. The utility scans your system--including removable drives--for the most common advertising spyware and safely removes the offenders. The program works through wizards that are intuitive to use. Currently, the utility detects small ad programs from Adware, Aureate/Radiate, OnFlow, Comet-Cursor, Cydoor, Doubleclick, EverAd, Flyswat, OnFlow, TimeSink 5.0, and others. For more information on programs that Ad-aware can detect, click here. Before you remove these hidden components, Ad-aware lets you create a backup of the program in question. If you prefer to leave some components on your system, you can select from a list box which items to remove. You can also create a detailed log file after scanning. Ad-aware supports Swedish, Dutch, English and German languages, plus custom language modules.
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