Voluntary Spyware: Trading Privacy for Safety | CIO Insight

Voluntary Spyware: Trading Privacy for Safety

Written By
Sheena Mohan
Sheena Mohan
Jun 5, 2005
1 minute read

Like being watched? Market research firms such as Comscore Inc. offer Web surfers free virus scan and Web accelerator software in exchange for permission to watch their every move, and as many as 1 million Americans have taken the bait. After downloading the researchware, users surf the Web as usual. The researchware tracks where you go online, how long you stay on each page, even where you click on the page. This allows researchware companies to provide their clients with “information about industry trends and preferences of consumer segments,” says Dan Hess of comScore, which sells the information it collects to the likes of Best Buy Co. and Nestlé USA Inc. But according to Larry Ponemon, of the Ponemon Institute, consumers are putting their personal data at risk. “People forget they’re part of the [researchware] audience, which gives the company more accurate data on consumer behavior,” but users “may not understand the risks involved.”

CIO Insight Logo

CIO Insight offers thought leadership and best practices in the IT security and management industry while providing expert recommendations on software solutions for IT leaders. It is the trusted resource for security professionals who need to maintain regulatory compliance for their teams and organizations. CIO Insight is an ideal website for IT decision makers, systems integrators and administrators, and IT managers to stay informed about emerging technologies, software developments and trends in the IT security and management industry.

Property of TechnologyAdvice. © 2026 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.