Saturday, November 12, 2005

When is Software which Spys not Spyware?

Hi folks,

I've just read an article which has intrigued me.

RetroCoder, a maker of a spying software application is threatening legal action against Sunbelt Software because it's software label's the others as Spyware. RetroCoder's software, SpyMon, logs keystrokes and takes screenshots. Apparently it's intended to be use to monitor use of your own computer, e.g. by parents of young children or even employers concerned about their employees web usage.

Obviously the line between software which is downloaded in secret from some website and software which is installed by the owner of a PC must exist, but how that interacts with the expectation of being able to use a computer without being spied on by others is not at all clear.

Sunbelt Software suggest that the user should have the right to know that their actions are being logged. This seems fair to me and may be the right point. There is a difference between monitoring (openly) and spying. When I had issues with one of my own children accessing web sites which I thought inappropriate I added logging on my router and let the family know. Then if I examined the logs and found inappropriate access I could openly call the person to account; to my mind this is part of being a parent.

What do you think?

Paul.

PS If you want to read the original news report you can at:
http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1009_22-5944208.html?tag=nl.e589

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