CA slaps spyware label on Kazaa
Found on CNet News on Friday, 26 November 2004
Peer-to-peer program Kazaa is the No. 1 spyware threat on the Internet, according to Computer Associates International.
Through its PestPatrol research, CA found that Kazaa posed a greater threat than other programs in its top five spyware list because of its widespread popularity. Kazaa claims that its software has been downloaded 214 million times.
CA gave Kazaa a high "clot factor," its measure of how much a program slows a machine by adding unnecessary registry entries and directories. However, classifying a popular application like Kazaa as spyware is a delicate matter, and CA admits this creates difficulties in attaching labels.
First off, nobody should use the original Kazaa anyway; it's known to pester you with spyware. But aside from that: if widespread popularity is the main reason for being spyware, then what's about Windows? I mean, it also installs lots of unwanted application (like product activation, BSODs and such)...