Theos-Talk Archives (May 2003 Message tt00009)

Re: Software of interest to all

PC Magazine, April 22, 2003 issue has an article about Spyware, and
programs to get rid of it. On Page 92, it lists the Editor's Choice,
[SpyBot Search & Destroy]. The price is right, it is a free download
(donation requested). From PepiMK Software.

http://spybot.safer-networking.de/

The file is spybotsd12.exe at 3.4 MB.

PC Mag says you can also get it at www.pcmag.com

It found about 8 spy programs on my computer that other programs had
not found. Best Buy, Double Click, and a couple of Microsoft programs.
I had gone to Double Click's website and filled an OPT OUT form last
year, but it appears that they don't take that form seriously.

I am running the Norton Internet Security, Lava Software's AD-AWARE,
and now this one.

I have been using Shareware since 1983, and so made a small "donation"
. As I found out, THAT is a Big Mistake.

If you don't have the program, get it and run it, but DON'T do the
"donation" bit.

I clicked on the donation button, and after making the donation,
filled out the Registration forms that appeared. They asked for more
information than I thought was necessary, but I figured PC Magazine
had endorsed it, so that it was OK. They asked a lot of personal
questions, and when I didn't fill out them all, they came back again
and again.

After I had all finished, and filled out all the questions that I
would answer, and finished, I found out that I was now a registered
Member of "PAYPAL", and now have a PayPal "account". Then I spent the
next five full minutes denying and blocking cookies from all sorts of
companies. NORTON INTENET SECURITY caught them trying to get in, and I
had to have it block them one at a time, and I suspect that there were
more than 100 that I suppose came from PayPal, for other products and
services.

I had no idea from the information that I got at the start of it that
I was getting into something like that. I would not have made a
donation if I thought that the SpyBot S&D would hand me off to a
company like PayPal.

The parent software company is in Germany, so you can't just send a
check.

Then they send me an acknowledgement via email of the whole thing. I
had donated to "OmemO" - I am not sure whether it has anything to do
with PepiMK Software or not. I also got email from PayPal welcoming me
as an account holder, and welcoming me to send more money for my
"account" to buy things from other vendors.

So, get it and run it, but DON'T donate to it, because then you get a
lot more than you bargained for .

Dennis