Spyware and Security

So an exec from Claria (formerly known as Gator) heads off to the US Government’s . department of Homeland Security. As of today, if you Google “claria spyware” you get 44000 hits. The commercial (and governmental) utility of building security holes into software should never be overlooked. Security holes in software are a combinations of poor engineering and on-purpose engineering. The most straightforward methods of implementing digital rights management and most obvious techniques for automatic download of updates and remote management are to build holes which are invitations for security failures. And companies and governments anxious to gather data about citizens/consumers or to steer them towards favored sites are naturally impelled to exert their ingenuity to exploit and widen those holes.