Affiliates are rejoicing over a new group, the Stop Badware Coalition, whose stated goal is to “spotlight companies that make millions of dollars by tricking Web users into putting spyware, adware or other deceptive software on their machines.”
This war against badware is being financially backed by Google, as well as computer makers Lenovo Group and Sun Microsystems. The effort is organized by Internet researchers at the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard and the Oxford Internet Institute.
“This is mostly a highlighting and warning and education project,” said Vint Cerf, an Internet who is currently the chief Internet evangelist at Google. Cerf is also on the advisory board of the Stop Badware Coalition.
Wayne Porter, Senior Director of Greynet Research at FaceTime Security Labs, says he likes the concept so far in his blog.
Porter is a renowned anti-badware crusader whose projects and work include the popular SpywareGuide, X-RayPC Process Analyzer and working with the Federal Trade Commission to help shape spyware policy as well as the co-creation of two patent-pending technologies to contain unwanted software on corporate networks.
Affiliates are excited at the prospect of these big players banding together to eradicate badware, as it is widely considered to be the source for filched affiliate commissions.
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