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Unlikely German Leads the War Against Spyware -- Spybot Seatch & Destroy Created by Anarchist
The Wall Street Journal ^ | Thursday, September 25, 2003 | James R. Hagerty and Annick Moes

Posted on 09/25/2003 5:56:33 AM PDT by TroutStalker

Edited on 04/22/2004 11:49:59 PM PDT by Jim Robinson. [history]

Three years ago, Patrick M. Kolla began noticing that some of the free software he had downloaded into his computer was sending him pop-up ads and keeping track of which Web sites he visited.

Most people who discover such invaders sigh and click away the ads. But the young German computer programmer and self-described anarchist wrote what he calls a "quick and dirty" software tool to purge computers of such unwanted programs. He called it Spybot Search & Destroy.


(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Technical
KEYWORDS: computersecurity; privacy

1 posted on 09/25/2003 5:56:33 AM PDT by TroutStalker
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To: TroutStalker
Spybot helps people "get a bit more privacy again," the young German recently wrote in an e-mail to an American executive at closely held Gator. "And that's quite an important thing if you read it up in your Constitution."

It might be important if you could read it in the Constitution. But I've never seen it in the Constitution, although I don't have the official Supreme Court "Penumbral Emination Detector". Even if it were in there, it would be there to limit the actions of government, not of individuals or companies.

2 posted on 09/25/2003 6:23:45 AM PDT by KarlInOhio (Fight Czarism in America!)
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To: TroutStalker
I wish they would do a comparison between this and AdAware.
3 posted on 09/25/2003 6:39:55 AM PDT by Blue Screen of Death
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To: Blue Screen of Death
I wish they would do a comparison between this and AdAware.

Mash your mouse here...

4 posted on 09/25/2003 6:54:17 AM PDT by general_re (SURGEON GENERAL'S WARNING: Quitting Sarcasm Now Greatly Reduces Serious Risks To Your Health.)
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To: TroutStalker
I suspected something fishy about this software when the icon to select English as the primary language is the flag of Scotland, not the U.S. or Britain.

Other than that, it is a pretty powerful program, better than AdAware.

5 posted on 09/25/2003 6:57:21 AM PDT by Alouette (The bombing begins in five minutes.)
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To: Alouette
Sorry, it´s the English flag!
6 posted on 09/25/2003 9:08:35 AM PDT by Michael81Dus
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To: Michael81Dus
It's the St. George's flag

Really intuitive, isn't it? Not.

7 posted on 09/25/2003 9:17:29 AM PDT by Alouette (The bombing begins in five minutes.)
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To: Alouette
Someone explain the flag please.

It's a great piece of shareware, that's for sure. Does an excellent job. I wrote the fellows address down and will send him a donation. Well worth it. Sorry about his politics, oh well.

8 posted on 09/25/2003 10:00:18 AM PDT by Jack Black
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To: Alouette
It's the St. George's flag

Yeah, the flag for England. :-)

Anyway, I know better flags, and as long it´s not black-red-gold, I´m not going to follow it. ;)

9 posted on 09/25/2003 10:09:43 AM PDT by Michael81Dus
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