January 26, 2006
Harvard University's Berkman Center and the Oxford Internet Institute
have launched a "Neighborhood Watch" initiative against spyware and
other malicious software programs.
The campaign, called, StopBadware.org, will spotlight the companies that make millions of dollars by tricking Internet users to download malicious spyware, adware and malware programs they don't want.
The two institutions say the multiyear initiative will empower consumers to fight back against badware. It is being supported by prominent high-tech companies, including Google, Lenovo and Sun Microsystems.
Consumer Reports WebWatch, a grant-funded project of Consumers Union, has agreed to a pro-bono role as special consumer adviser, according to the group.
The Berkman Center and Oxford Internet Institute say they hope this initiative serves as a deterrent by publishing names and reports of companies spreading badware and as an educational tool for software developers by providing principles they can follow to provide a positive user experience.
A new Web site has been launched, www.StopBadware.org, where Internet users will be able to check to see if programs they want to download are badware and alert others to malicious programs they have encountered.
"Intruders are now in your house without your permission," said John Palfrey, co-director of StopBadware.org and Executive Director of the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard Law School.
"They entered through your computer to bombard you with sneaky pop-ups and install tracking software to spy on your every move and steal your most personal information, such as credit card or Social Security numbers, in order to sell that data to a stranger. StopBadware.org will shine a much needed light on the unethical activities of these companies."
"The power and promise of the Internet is that anyone can write and distribute code for tens of millions of others to adopt and run," said Jonathan Zittrain, co-director of StopBadware.org and Professor of Internet Governance and Regulation at Oxford University.
"The downside of this is that bad code can too readily get onto the public's PCs. Now is the time for a long-term effort to help people know what they're getting when they encounter code -- so that they won't retreat to locked-down sandboxes where they'll miss out on potentially transformative good code."
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 websites.
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.
"Badware and its nastiest effects -- violation of privacy, identity theft, and computer hijacking -- hit consumers without warning," said Beau Brendler, director of Consumer Reports WebWatch, a grant-funded initiative of Consumers Union, the non-profit publisher of Consumer Reports magazine.
"WebWatch research shows these and other threats are turning almost a third of U.S. Internet users away from the Web. We believe StopBadware.org is a great way to fight back."
