Spyware Tips for Internet Services in Rosalie Meadow Grove Newport Belden Blair Macy Nebraska NE

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When surfing the Internet, someone may be watching what sites you are browsing. Many Internet users´ are being tracked by spyware without them ever knowing.

Spyware is any program that monitors and reports your online activity without your knowledge or consent. Often times the software is installed secretly in conjunction with other programs that users install without their knowledge, such as Kazaa or Limewire. Kazaa and Limewire are popular programs that automatically install spyware.

You may be asking why anyone would want to know what websites you are visiting. In most cases they are companies who want to send you personalized emails or pop up advertisements. During their reporting some spyware programs can disrupt your Internet connection and your ability to send and receive emails. This can be annoying but is relatively harmless and not illegal.

A more serious matter is the act of using spyware to gain financial and personal information. Crooks can use spyware to gain credit card numbers, passwords, social security numbers, and other confidential information. This variety of spyware is illegal, but occurs rarely.

How do you know if your computer has spyware installed, and if you have it, how do you get it removed? Spyware is often hard to detect since it is designed to run without you knowing. American Broadband recommends a removal program called Ad-Aware designed by Lava Soft USA and provides a free version of the program on our spyware page. This program works a lot like an anti-virus program by using lists similar to virus definition files to help find and remove the spyware. This program´s updates are free and if used on a weekly, basis Ad-Aware does a great job of removing unwanted spyware.

If you have any questions about spyware, Ad-Aware, or any other aspect of your American Broadband Internet service, please call us at 533-5777 or 1-888-491-9115. This is a free service for American Broadband customers and is available from 8:00 AM – 10:00 PM 7 days a week. You can also send us an e-mail at techsupport@abbnebraska.com.

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