Thousands of Internet Users Turn to Stopbadware.org; Over 250,000 People Visit New Consumer Protection Site in First Few Weeks15 February 2006
In just a few weeks since its launch, more than a quarter of a million Internet users have visited http://www.stopbadware.org , a new "Neighborhood Watch" initiative against spyware and other malicious software programs.
Sponsored by Harvard University's Berkman Center and the Oxford Internet Institute, Stopbadware.org is the largest consumer protection initiative combating spyware. The initiative empowers consumers to fight back against badware. It is supported by high-tech companies, including Google, Lenovo and Sun Microsystems. Consumer Reports WebWatch serves as an unpaid special consumer adviser.
Since the launch of stopbadware.org on Jan. 25:
-- 279,339 computer users have visited the site, averaging roughly 14,000 visits per day.
-- Nearly 1,000 have shared their experiences with badware.
-- Nearly 5,000 have joined the site's active community group.
In coming weeks, StopBadware.org's researchers will compile the information and publish the first report, which will publish stories of those victimized by badware and publicize companies that are profiting through unethical marketing practices.
And, in an effort to spotlight companies that make millions by tricking Internet users, StopBadware.org unveiled a new 60-second advertisement which can be viewed on the site. To view the ad, visit http://www.stopbadware.org. Users can also learn about the problem and tell their stories to researchers through a new toll- free number (877-no-badware or 877-662-2392).
"We are thrilled with the results thus far of stopbadware.org," said John Palfrey, co-director of StopBadware.org and Executive Director of the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard Law School. "Our goal with this initiative is to get users to tell their stories and create powerful data on the worst purveyors of badware and I am happy to say that we are well on our way."
"The problem of bad code is a fundamental one," said Jonathan Zittrain, co-director of StopBadware.org and professor of Internet governance and regulation at Oxford University. "Automatic anti-badware programs from private vendors can help, but a comprehensive solution will include participation and contribution from the public at large, whether through their own stories, or through devotion of their PC's cycles and data to create an overall weather map of the Internet's health."
Whether spyware, incessant pop-ups or other obtrusive programs, badware today plagues millions of people by turning their computers into machines to spy on them and steal their data. Unlike viruses and worms, badware becomes embedded in a computer by downloading games or software or just by visiting certain Web sites.
According to a recent Pew Internet & American Life Project, roughly 59 million American adults today have badware on their computers. Problems related to badware forced home computer users to spend roughly $3.5 billion in 2003 and 2004 to replace or repair their hardware, according to Consumer Reports.
According to a recent study from Webroot Software, badware today is a $2 billion-a-year industry. Specifically, it's an industry made up of hyper-aggressive, unethical marketing supported by business relationships tying legitimate advertisers to online marketers, small application vendors, Web site operators and shady online groups.
About Stopbadware.org:
-- Internet users can visit StopBadware.org to check whether programs they want to download are infected with badware and alert others to programs they have encountered that include malicious software such as spyware, incessant pop-up ads or other obtrusive programs.
-- StopBadware.org will publish short user friendly reports on downloads they have identified as badware, as well as more detailed academic studies on the problem of badware.
-- StopBadware.org will publicize the names of companies that make up the most insidious purveyors of badware and shed light on how they make money through unethical marketing practices. For example, advertisements will spotlight the worst purveyors of badware.
-- StopBadware.org will seek the horror stories from Internet users who have been adversely affected by badware. It will publish these stories to raise awareness of badware's harmful affects.
StopBadware.org is directed and advised by some of the most respected experts in the technology arena, including Palfrey, Zittrain of Oxford's Internet University and such Internet pioneers as Vint Cerf, Esther Dyson and others.
Consumer Reports WebWatch's unpaid advisory role will be to assist with program design, development of guidelines to improve consumer notice and disclosures regarding spyware, and outreach to consumer organizations and consumers. Consumer Reports WebWatch is supported by grants from The Pew Charitable Trusts and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
Participation by Consumer Reports WebWatch, the Berkman Center for Internet & Society and the Oxford Internet Institute are not subject to oversight by StopBadware.org's corporate sponsors. The Oxford Internet Institute (OII) is a department in the Social Sciences Division of the University of Oxford. Founded in 2001, it is one of the first multi-disciplinary research centers at a major university that is focused on the societal implications of the Internet.
http://www.usnewswire.com/
Source: usnewswire
All trademarks and copyrighted information contained herein are the property of their respective owners.
The Shield Pro 2006
Related Articles
|
