spyware installed by major company

Factual Questions
1

Has anyone seen any details-specifically any contrary reports, to this story:

The points that surprised me the most are:

  1. all web activity is logged and sent to a third party
  2. the EULA changes depending on whether your computer has the keylogger installed
  3. apparently all the commercial anti-virus software packages fail to report the install
  4. and of course the company collecting the information claims it is perfectly legal.

Seems incredible to me. Does anyone know more?

2

That’s outrageous, but it seem like it’s been well-researched and documented that Sears is indeed doing this. Someone should sue… something should be done. And anti-virus packages and apps like AdAware and Spybot S&D should be updated to report the Sears spyware.

3

When I saw the subject title, I was thinking “Will they be asking about Sears or Sony?” (Remember Sony’s rootkits a while back?)

Sea3rs is definitely mining data with spyware. There’s a pile of evidence that they monitor your web activity as well as read your email.

http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2008/01/is_sears_engagi.html#comments

Sears responds.

More shennanigans by Sears - You can look up people’s purchases online.

4

Every time I hear about this kind of crap it makes me shudder a little.

5

This can’t be right, because as we’re frequently reminded, companies are blameless, holy creatures that would never do anything not in everyone’s best interest.

-Joe