Oh happy days!

It is great news that Harvard, Oxford, Google, Lenovo Group and Sun Microsystems have created a new consumer advocacy group, The Stop Badware Coalition, to target and shame spyware makers.

I hate spyware with a passion. It’s computer rape as far as I am concerned.

http://www.stopbadware.org/

By Eric Auchard
Internet brain trust aims to shame spyware makers
REUTERS

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Internet researchers at Harvard and Oxford universities said on Tuesday they are seeking to enlist Web users in a program to name and shame suppliers of spyware and other malicious software programs.

The Stop Badware Coalition will seek to spotlight companies that make millions of dollars by tricking Web users into putting spyware, adware or other deceptive software on their machines, organizers from the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard and the Oxford Internet Institute said.

The multi-year project is financially backed by Google Inc. and computer makers Lenovo Group and Sun Microsystems Inc. It is advised by U.S. consumer advocacy group Consumer Reports WebWatch, its backers said.
http://go.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=internetNews&storyID=10962618&pageNumber=0

'Shame' will not make spyware/adware makers go away. Lack of profit will. Don't purchase anything advertised to you via spyware/adware/spam. Ever.

I applaud whatever efforts anyone makes in this area-even merely raisng public awareness is significant...

Take away their computer equipment, make them pay a fine and put them on some type of list for 10 years.

I totally agree spyware/adware, viruses, worms etc all malicious programs are terrible. HEFTY fines should be imposed on their creators.