Adware and spyware in general are horrible tools that advertising companies use to be able to first gather information from prospective people that they believe can help them out for their research and then send out advertisements that they think can manipulate prospective buyers into patronizing product that they were initially paid for in order to advertise. The harm that adware can do is tremendous. The problem to this is that, aside from getting the ample information that they just need to make their research, they also get other information that are considered private already and evasive once taken. It is so sensitive that it can even notify the adware company of any attempts to modify or remove it from the system. All the information obtained by the adware can be used by the adware author for marketing purposes, or sold to other companies for a profit.

Adware is a “malware” or malevolent software that is located on your computer installed there without your knowledge. This can occur when you visit online web sites presenting free downloads of games, when you download videos or music, or any share files, such as when you download that comic e-mail from your friend. Adware programs such as Mssgr are taken for the ride and masked into your machine at the same time you download a file. Adware is infecting millions of home computers today.

In short, adware can detect on any aspect of your computer use, and is not limited in the ways Web sites are when it comes to gathering personal data. While a Web site can gather limited demographic and statistical data automatically provided by the Web browser and Internet protocols, and read cookies set by its own domain, spyware and some adware such as Mssgr can “see” and disclose any data on, entering or exiting your computer. This information can then be used for just about any purpose, even sold to the highest bidder!