# ARRG! Persistant Spyware **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 18, 2002, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arrg-persistant-spyware/137391 "2002-11-18T21:53:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bare](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bare/32/471_2.png) [@bare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bare)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2002, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arrg-persistant-spyware/137391/1 "2002-11-18T21:53:07Z")
Everytime I run Ad-Aware I find the same 3 or 4 spyware programs. I delete, delete and delete again. Fastclick, Doubleclick, servedby and some other click. Is there some way to permanantly refuse or get rid of these cookies? ---
**Author:** ![wolfstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d6d6ee/32.png) [@wolfstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfstu)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2002, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arrg-persistant-spyware/137391/2 "2002-11-18T22:09:54Z")
Well, do you ABSOLUTELY need to go to those bakery sites? That’s my usual solution. Spoil my computer’s appetite, will you? I’m never coming over again. ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2002, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arrg-persistant-spyware/137391/3 "2002-11-18T22:11:21Z")
No, AFAIK there’s no way to prevent them, unless you quit surfing the Internet altogether. We get admonitor, doubleclick, and valueclick here. ---
**Author:** ![Number](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/number/32/242_2.png) [@Number](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Number)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2002, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arrg-persistant-spyware/137391/4 "2002-11-18T22:14:35Z")
You’ll need to block cookies from those sites. There are a couple of ways to do it. If you have IE6 you can go to **Tools|Internet Options|Privacy|Edit** and enter the addresses. I believe Mozilla has native cookie-blocking capability, but I don’t know the exact sequence to set it up. Programs like [The Proxomitron](http://www.spamblocked.com/proxomitron) can block cookies, pop-ups, and many other annoyances with any browser. (NOTE: if that site asks to load Gator, hit NO). ---
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2002, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arrg-persistant-spyware/137391/5 "2002-11-18T23:00:58Z")
If you’ve got IE6, even better than entering those specific addresses, do Tools, Internet Options, Privacy, Advanced, and tell it to Block Third Party Cookies (there’s a radio button for it). That means that, if you’re going to, say, [cnn.com](http://cnn.com), only [cnn.com](http://cnn.com) can put a cookie on your machine while you’re visiting that site, and doubleclick, valueclick, and the like, are blocked from doing so. I’ve found that it cuts _way_ down on the accumulation of spyware cookies. ---
**Author:** ![black\_rabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f19dbf/32.png) [@black\_rabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/black_rabbit)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2002, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arrg-persistant-spyware/137391/6 "2002-11-19T00:04:26Z")
Check out [this site](http://www.accs-net.com/hosts/) for info on modifying your hosts file to block the big ad servers. ---
**Author:** ![Some\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Some\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Some_Guy)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2002, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arrg-persistant-spyware/137391/7 "2002-11-19T02:14:17Z")
If you’re using Mozilla: **Edit\>Preferences** , then **Privacy&Security\>Cookies** You’ll see a bunch of options; click on “ **Enable all cookies** ” (yes, you want to do this), **Disable cookies in Mail &Newsgroups** , and “ **Ask me before storing a cookie** ”. Now click “ **Manage stored cookies** ” and delete everything you don’t explicitly want or need. What this will do is pop up a window every time any site attempts to store a cookie on your local computer. There will be options to accept or deny the cookie, plus a checkbox for “ **Remember this decision** ”. For most sites, keep the box checked, hit “no”, and you’ll never get cookies from them again (at least through Mozilla). ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2002, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arrg-persistant-spyware/137391/8 "2002-11-19T03:54:12Z")
In IE6 I have blocked all cookies as a default and then have a few authorised sites (Fer instance the SDMB) ---
**Author:** ![bare](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bare/32/471_2.png) [@bare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bare)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2002, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arrg-persistant-spyware/137391/9 "2002-11-25T20:34:05Z")
I want to thank you all for your advice. I had to download IE6 and block second party cookies but by golly it works! It was really bothering me to run Ad-aware every day, only to find the same darn spyware. Now when I double-click the little privacy icon, I can see all the cookies blocked. Some sites have had as many as 30 cookies trying to get on my computer! ---
**Author:** ![Uncommon\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Uncommon\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncommon_Sense)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2002, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arrg-persistant-spyware/137391/10 "2002-11-25T21:12:51Z")
BARE ----------- Why the need to get rid of the cookies? Just asking. ---
**Author:** ![bare](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bare/32/471_2.png) [@bare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bare)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2002, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arrg-persistant-spyware/137391/11 "2002-11-25T21:23:17Z")
I first found need for it after my system had slowed drastically. Turned out that I had tons of spyware on my drives. I downloaded Ad-aware and it removed all the spyware and adware. My computer immediately got up to the speed it should and as an added benefit I got far fewer pop-up ads. Besides all that, I want to have a say in what goes on my computer and I am uncomfortable sharing my demographics with those I don’t know. ---
**Author:** ![Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2002, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arrg-persistant-spyware/137391/12 "2002-11-25T21:25:20Z")
Because they track you, and tell other people where you’ve been. And they leave unasked-for crap cluttering up your hard drive. Where I go is my business. If you want to know, you can pay me. ---
**Author:** ![micco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f8ce5/32.png) [@micco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/micco)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2002, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arrg-persistant-spyware/137391/13 "2002-11-25T21:54:25Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by bare \* > **It was really bothering me to run Ad-aware every day, only to find the same darn spyware.** Just to be pedantic, these cookies are not, strictly speaking, spyware. Spyware is an actual application running on your computer which is revealing more about you than you’d like (e.g. RealAudio uploading your data to their server, etc.). These cookies are definitely a privacy issue because they allow a company like DoubleClick to track your browsing from site to site, and you should certainly block them or delete them, but they’re not the same as spyware.