Yahoo Plans Antispyware Service
By KEVIN J. DELANEY
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
May 27, 2004
SAN FRANCISCO -- Yahoo Inc. plans to announce today the availability of a new antispyware service through its toolbar software.
The new service will allow registered Yahoo users to scan for spyware, small programs that install themselves on computers to serve up advertising, monitor Web surfing and other computer activities, and carry out other orders. The Yahoo users can then have the service, which will initially be available in a testing phase, remove the spyware from their computers. They need to have installed Yahoo's free toolbar software, which works with a web browser and allows users quickly to access other services such as Web search.
Antispyware software "is the number one thing we're hearing from our users in terms of the security tools and services they wanted to see delivered from Yahoo," said Julie Herendeen, vice president for network products at Yahoo, Sunnyvale, Calif.
Antispyware software is already available from a number of sources, including some Internet service providers and vendors of antivirus software. But consumer frustration with the unwanted programs continues to grow -- spyware is quickly replacing spam as the online annoyance computer users most complain about.
Yahoo's new service uses technology from PestPatrol Inc., a closely held Carlisle, Penn. maker of antispyware software. |
