Home

Spyware is a computer software that is installed surreptitiously on a personal computer to collect information about a user, their computer or browsing habits without the user's informed consent.

While the term spyware suggests software that secretly monitors the user's behavior, the functions of spyware extend well beyond simple monitoring. Spyware programs can collect various types of personal information, such as Internet surfing habits and sites that have been visited, but can also interfere with user control of the computer in other ways, such as installing additional software and redirecting Web browser activity. Spyware is known to change computer settings, resulting in slow connection speeds, different home pages, and/or loss of Internet or functionality of other programs.

In today's world of Internet, malicious programs like spyware and adware are becoming an increasingly dangerous problem. Once, these programs were annoying that would increase pop-up ads or spam email, and could do little more then that. Nowadays, these programs are growing ever more sophisticated like viruses and spywares, many of them are capable of infecting computers silently and running themselves in the background, gathering information about oblivious users and sending that information to others. To combat these dangers, there are a number of software programs that promises to remove spyware from your computer or even prevent it from showing up in the first place.

However, unfortunately, spyware makers are aware of the popularity of these programs and, ironically, many supposed spyware removers are actually spyware themselves. If you are planning to install a spyware removal program, it's important to be sure you've read some reviews and know what you're getting into. The programs listed below are among the best free spyware and adware removers available today. Using one or two of these highly-regarded (it's usually recommended that users have at least two spyware removers installed on their system, in order to catch as many threats as possible) will help you stay spyware-free.
Among these are Spybot Search And Destroy, Windows Defender, Lavasoft Ad Aware Anniversary,
AVG AntiVirus, Avast AntiVirus, Malware Bytes Anti Malware, Spyware Blaster, Hijack This and IE SPYAD2 for Zoned Out.

In response to the emergence of spyware, a small industry has sprung up dealing in anti-spyware software. Running anti-spyware software has become a widely recognized element of computer security practices for computers, especially those running Microsoft Windows. A number of jurisdictions have passed anti-spyware laws, which usually target any software that is surreptitiously installed to control a user's computer. The US Federal Trade Commission has placed on the Internet a page of advice to consumers about how to lower the risk of spyware infection, including a list of "do's" and "don'ts.