N.Y. Attorney General & crusader Eliot Spitzer recently sued Internet marketer Intermix Media Inc. for surreptiously installing adware/spyware software.

Not surprisingly, this has led to the expected deluge of denials from similar marketers, followed by announcements that they will remove their spyware/adware software!

Spitzer's legal action was preceded by months of diligent investigation. Investigation which revealed that Intermix routinely installed "spyware/adware" software on PCs across the U.S.A. - on a mass scale. (These software pops-up ads and forces users to visit selected web pages.)

Mechanics
As a routine business practice, Intermix secretly added toolbars to web browsers with the sole purpose of popping up ads on PC monitors.

It appears that many Internet marketers (like Intermix) have invested large sums to create a suite of software for delivering ads onto PC screens and redirecting browsers to web sites. In addition, many also operate web-sites which offer free software downloads, etc.

Intermix for example, owns & operates a number of web sites which offer membership, email newsletters & downloads - all free of cost. These sites offer free screen-savers, downloadable games, jokes, et al. The invisible catch is that most of these free services secretly install Intermix software on the user's PC without their permission.

This software which is installed without the knowledge of the user, is very difficult to detect & remove. And the user has no control over the software.

Once installed, the software takes control of the user's PC, pops up ads on the computer screen and redirects web addresses. And invariably, the result is loss of productivity & irritation which has lead to a healthy distrust of anything connected with the Internet!

Overkill
One of the findings of the Spitzer enquiry is ".. the installed software routinely omitted un-install option". (This makes it nigh impossible to remove by the average PC user.)

Another finding: ".. mass targeting was practiced by the marketer .. with nearly 4 million downloads directed at New Yorkers by Intermix alone .." Such persistent targeting is bound to aggravate the average net surfer to alarming levels.

It seems obvious that businesses based on such a deceptive model were bound to irritate the "targets" (sooner rather than later!). Therefore, it is amazing to note the number of such large companies who have adopted such business models.

As if that were not bad enough, most of these companies are backed by venture capitalists - who obviously thought they were on to a great (killer!) idea.

Development or Regression?
By increasing traffic for Internet ads, spyware and adware software purport to further the cause of e-commerce. But this is as 'true' as concrete apartment blocks which spring up 'in the lap of nature' further the cause of development!

Spyware/adware software are in fact detrimental to the growth of e-commerce. Because these sly softwares slow down PCs, reduce output and are very, very difficult to remove from computers! (Just as uncontrolled development of concrete apartment blocks ultimately replace the 'lap of nature' with concrete.)

By promoting false advertising and bogus business practices, spyware/adware marketers have adversely affected the average net surfer's trust in web-sites. No wonder, Spitzer's suit also accuses Intermix of trespassing under New York common law.

Future of E-Commerce
Spyware / adware software effectively breach the security of PCs by sneaking in unwanted software. Moreover, they take away control of the PC from the user. This has lead to increasing distrust on the Internet, web-sites.
All this translates to an adverse effect on the future of e-commerce.

As they say, if there's no self regulation, there is bound to be enforced regulation.