Below are just a few examples of what people have dubbed spyware or annoyware.
Example: A computer user sees an Internet advertisement for Program
A. The user clicks on the ad and is sent to a page that
pops up a window asking if the user
wants to download Program A. The user clicks "no", but Program A is eventually
downloaded and installed anyway.
Example: A computer user loads Company J's Web page. The Web page
opens another page running a java script.
When the user closes Company J's Web page, the java script page covertly
resets the user's homepage. The java script is written such that any time the
user attempts to reset his or her homepage, the program automatically resets
it again so the user cannot reset his or her homepage to what it was before
the hijacking took place.
Example: A computer user downloads Software Package K. Among the
programs in Software Package K is a
dialer application that was not mentioned in any advertisements, software
licenses or consumer notices associated with the package or in information
provided in conjunction with the ongoing operations of the package. The dialer
application is not an integral part of Software Package K. When the user opens
her Web browser after installation of Software Package K, the dialer opens in
a hidden window, turns off the sound of the user's computer and calls a phone
number without the user's permission.
Example: A computer user downloads Gaming Program W. The user wants
to remove Gaming Program W from the computer. Gaming Program W does not have
an uninstall program or instructions
and does not show up in the Add/Remove feature of the user's
operating system.
Example: A computer user downloads Program X. The user wants to
remove Program X from the computer. Program X appears in the Add/Remove
feature of the user's operating system. However, when the user selects the
remove option, a component of Program X remains behind. The next time the user
connects to the Internet, this component re-downloads the remainder of Program
X and reinstalls it.
