| The Skype application and installation program do not include any adware or spyware: Adware is software that displays advertising. Some types of adware display advertising only when the program you installed alongside it is running. In other cases, adware displays advertisements regardless of whether the application is running. Most end users consider adware to be irritating and visually distracting. When adware is installed on your computer, it generally is done without your consent or knowledge. This is a risk of downloading and installing any software from the Internet. In some cases, the end-user license agreement that accompanies the software does, in fact, disclose that adware will be installed alongside the application. These license agreements typically are complex, however, and disclosures generally are buried deep within the agreement or hidden by obscure language. Spyware is software that "spies" on you for someone else's benefit. Spyware surreptitiously captures and clandestinely reports information on your computing behavior, habits, or interests for fraudulent or commercial exploitation. The most benign spyware secretly reports the Web pages you browse to collect marketing data. More insidious spyware captures e-mail addresses; passwords; financial data; and in some cases, all the keystrokes that an end user types on her computer.
Adware, spyware, and other forms of malicious code have become a serious problem for people who use Microsoft operating systems, such as Windows 2000, Windows XP Home, and Windows XP Professional. To date, Mac OS X and Linux users have not been as likely to run into problems with adware and spyware, in part because these operating systems have not been popular targets and in part because they have historically had stronger security. For a detailed explanation of how this data is used, refer to "Privacy, Personal Data and Traffic Data" in the Skype Terms of Service, available on the Skype Web site. |