Software that secretly gathers personal information and tracks Internet usage usually for marketing purposes. Adware can be downloaded inadvertently or included in free software, via email or across instant messenger applications. Further information is available here.

Computer programs which display commercial advertisements on the user's PC while being used. See also spyware.

Adware are programs that secretly gather information while you browse the Internet and transfer that data to another computer. This information is then used for advertisements and can generate pop ups. Adware can usually be found in shareware or freeware and is installed during the installation process.

A software application that can display advertising banners while the program is running or via some other triggering mechanism. Adware delivery systems are most often integrated into free applications as a way for developers to recover costs or generate revenue. A critical eye has been placed on adware since in many cases, in addition to downloading ads, they may also upload user information collected to a third party without explicit permission.

software that records your internet habits and customizes pop-up windows to that effect.

Typically, adware components install alongside a shareware or freeware application. These advertisements create revenue for the software developer and are provided with initial consent from the user. Adware displays Web-based advertisements through pop-up windows or through an advertising banner that appears within a program's interface. Getting pop-up advertisements when you're working on your computer is very annoying. Shareware software like Kazaa or IMash are bundled with adware applications.

Rogue software installed on your PC without your knowledge or direct consent. Usually sends information from your PC to unknown third parties and can leave your PC unstable or your online gaming performance inconsistent.

(ADvertisementWARE) - Any software application or program in which advertising banners are displayed or Pop-up windows appear while the program is running. Adware is considered "spyware" and is installed without the user's knowledge. It typically displays targeted ads based on words searched for on the Web or derived from a user's surfing habits that have been periodically sent in the background to a Web server.

Antivirus Software

a software that brings ads to your computer

a software that displays popup/popunder ads when the primary user interface is not visible or which do not appear to be assocaited with the product

A program that displays advertising through pop-up or pop-under windows while you are browsing the net.

Adware displays unwanted ads. It can track your web habits and send them back to an advertising server.

A program that displays third-party advertisements on your computer. Some adware programs collect information about you to display advertisements based on your browsing patterns.

Software that brings targeted ads to your computer, after you provide initial consent for this task. Some Adware may hijack the ads of other companies, replacing them with its own. Adware typically will track your browsing habits and report this info to a central ad server. See also Spyware. Examples

Any software application which displays advertising banners while the program is running. The authors include additional code, which can be viewed through pop-up windows or through a bar that appears on the computer screen. Adware has been criticized because it usually includes code that tracks a user's personal information and passes it on to third parties, without the user's authorization or knowledge.

Programs installed on a person's computer that typically pop up contextual advertisements as the person surfs the Internet.

A legitimate, non-replicating program designed to display ads to the end-user, often based on monitoring of browsing habits, and often in exchange for the right to use a program without paying for it (a take on the shareware concept).

Software which displays advertisements often comes attached to free software and you are not always told that it includes Adware.

Category of spyware designed to report your personal information to companies so that they can make money from it.

A type of Advertising Display Software, specifically certain executable applications whose primary purpose is to deliver advertising content potentially in a manner or context that may be unexpected and unwanted by users. Many adware applications also perform tracking functions, and therefore may also be categorized as Tracking Technologies. Some consumers may want to remove Adware if they object to such tracking, do not wish to see the advertising caused by the program, or are frustrated by its effects on system performance. On the other hand, some users may wish to keep particular adware programs if their presence subsidizes the cost of a desired product or service or if they provide advertising that is useful or desired, such as ads that are competitive or complementary to what the user is looking at or searching for.

Adware is software that loads itself onto a computer and tracks the user's browsing habits or pops up advertisements while the computer is in use. Adware and spyware disrupt your privacy and can slow down your computer as well as contaminate your operating system or data files. Adware can be discouraged by setting up programs called " software firewalls."

Software incorporated in the advertising that’s included in, or linked to, a web page. It can be innocuous, but can also gather data from the user or the user’s computer and feed it back to the advertiser.

Generally in the form of a Trojan Horse, adware programs make ads pop up on your computer, usually when browsing the internet.

is software that displays ads on a computer. These ads may show up as pop-ups and appear as if they came from the website that was just visited.

Software which displays advertisements on your computer. Sometimes installed as part of a "free" application, sometimes by stealth. See also Malware, Spyware.

A type of computer virus the produces pop-up advertisements and adds browser bookmarks/favorites that the user did not submit to. adware that also tracks user site visits and collects personal data is called spyware. more

Adware (which works much like spyware) installs itself on a computer and then creates pop-up windows attempting to sell items to the computer user.

A software application that displays advertising information while it is running. Adware may be implemented by a software developer to help lower the cost of their software. In some cases, adware may act as spyware and report user information to a third party.

This is a form of intrusive software that installs itself on a computer when a user browses culprit web pages. When a rogue web page is opened the HTML code forces an installation of software which is either a nuisance or harmful to the trouble free action of the computer. Common adware effects are pop-ups, home page hijacking, misdirection of searches through common search engines. To avoid adware users are advised to avoid free screensavers & desktop themes, pornographics websites & fileshare programs ie kazaa, bearshare, ares etc. This is because many of these "free" programs are AD - Supported.

Typically, adware components install alongside a shareware or freeware application and bring targeted advertisements to your computer. These advertisements create revenue for the software developer. Adware displays web-based advertisements through pop-up windows or through annoying advertising banners.

software that displays advertising for other products and/or services (often downloaded from the internet by the software)..

A class of software whereby the application is integrated or bundled with advertising usually used to entice the user to click on the advertisements. Clicking on these advertisements contributes financially to the authors of the adware.

A] new class of advertising products that typically install on your PC as part of a software download. Once it's there, adware does tricks like putting commercial links and ads on Web pages you visit—without the site's consent.” 37 Please click here for Tom Spring's instructions on how to detect and remove adware from your computer.

Adware is software that has been installed on your computer without your knowing. Many freeware or shareware programs that you download from the Internet will install hidden programs, that send details such as i.e. your email, websites you visit etc. to an advertiser who can target you with popup ads (often even if your offline) and spam.

"Advertiser-supported software" that installs itself on your PC specifically to deliver targeted marketing and advertisements to the user

Software that is free to the user, but supported by advertisers.

Free software that is financially supported by the advertising included with it. The software displays advertising banners or pop-up windows while the program is running.

Adware combines the words advertising and software. It's a type of spyware that gets automatically downloaded and then displays or plays advertising content, such as pop-up ads and banner ads, while you're surfing the Web.

These programs are free to the end user and won't cost you a penny. The developers support their programs by placing advertisements inside their programs. If you appreciate the work done by these dedicated authors, do them a favor and check out their sponsors. The majority of adware authors will have a advertisement-free version of their available for a small fee. The ads serve as a revenue source for the author. It allows them to stretch their program and update more frequently. There are a few companies that you will see often associated with Adware programs, namely Cydoor, Radiate, Web3000, and Aureate. If you need help detecting and removing Adware software from your computer then check out Ad-Aware. It is a free removal tool that detects and removes Adware components that are sometimes left on your system after uninstalling Adware programs.

Programmes available for free on the Internet which contain adverts.

Programs that secretly gather personal information through the Internet and relay it back to another computer, generally for advertising purposes. This is often accomplished by tracking information related to Internet browser usage or habits. Adware can be downloaded from Web sites (typically in shareware or freeware), email messages, and instant messengers. A user may unknowingly trigger adware by accepting an End User License Agreement from a software program linked to the adware.

" ... any software application in which advertising banners are displayed while the program is running." - From searchsmallbizit.com Definitions

is an advertising software, which often bundled with freeware downloads. Adware slows download your computer performance, since it tracks your Internet surfing habits to target ads designed specifically to appeal to you. It can deliver advertising popups on your computer screen and send you spam email.

a program that puts adverts on your screen outside your control

Small programs and cookies placed on your computer by Advertising companies to facilitate "Pop-ups" and track your internet usage for Marketing and Spam databases.

a program, usually hidden inside free downloaded software, that transmits user information to advertisers via the internet. A lot of internet users may have adware inside their computer systems and may not be aware of it. To counter this, you need to install anti-adware or anti-spyware (a similar form of hidden program) in your computers.

Software that displays advertising for other products/services in the interface of the program or on the output of the program (photos, documents, etc.).

a general term used for software that invades your computer in the form of persistent pop-up ads.

This type of spyware is used to display adverts for high profit margin products which they attempt to trick you into buying. Any decent spyware cleaner will detect and remove these.

API [Application Program Interface] ASCII [American Standard Code for Information Interchange

is free software that is supported by advertisements.

Adware is software that displays ads on your computer while you are using it, often in the form of popups. It is almost always installed without your authorization or hidden with another program you installed. Adware is often packaged with spyware which collects information on the user in order to target the ads. Adware can cause dramatic performance decreases.

This is any software application that has the ability to display advertisements on your computer. These advertisements may be displayed in many forms, including, but not limited to, pop-up, pop-under, and banner advertisements. In some cases it is bundled with other software (i.e. peer-to-peer file swapping products) without the user's knowledge or slipped in the fine print of a EULA (End User License Agreement). Adware primarily tracks your Web surfing habits and as a result may slow your Web browser's performance. Some adware may have the ability to download third party software programs on your computer without your knowledge or consent.

Typically, adware is installed along with shareware or freeware software. These advertisements create revenue for the software developer. Adware displays web-based advertisements through pop-up windows or through an advertising banner that appears within a program's interface. Pop-up ads are very annoying.

is free software usually supported by advertisements, the advertisements are often in the form of pop ups or banners. If you dont like pop-ups then try to avoid any free software offered to you on the internet. I recommend using software to protect your computer from adware and spyware, see Protect your computer for a list of adware, spyware, and popup blocking programs.

This is a program that displays banners while being run, or reports users habits or information to third parties.

Adware secretly tracks and gathers personal information--including sites you visit--and ships that data to a remote server for purposes of generating targeted advertisements. Many free, downloadable programs incorporate adware as a way to generate revenue. Best defense: Anti-spyware software such as Spybot Search and Destroy or Lavasoft's Ad-Aware.

Adware is software that displays advertising banners on Web browsers such as Internet Explorer and Mozilla. While not categorized as malware, many users consider adware invasive. Adware programs often create unwanted effects on a system, such as annoying popup ads and, in some instances, the degradation in either network connection or system performance. Adware programs are typically installed as separate programs that are bundled with certain free software. Many users inadvertently agree to installing adware by accepting the End User License Agreement (EULA) on the free software. Adware are also often installed in tandem with spyware programs. Both programs feed off of each other's functionalities - spyware programs profile users' Internet behaviour, while adware programs display targeted ads that correspond to the gathered user profiles.

Any software which serves banner ads or pop-up ads to you while in use. It is sometimes installed in freeware or shareware which you download from the...

Adware is hidden software, often included with a useful software program, that automatically presents pop-up advertisements.

PC World defines adware as advertising-supported software that plays by the rules, no matter how obnoxious you might think it. Adware displays a prominent End User Licensing Agreement (EULA) during the install, does not install any other applications without explicitly asking the user's permission, and provides an effective uninstaller in Windows Add or Remove Programs section.

The term for spyware preferred and used by makers of software that include ad-serving mechanisms. Adware gathers some personal information and/or monitors a user's Web behavior to serve targeted ads. The majority of programs that use the ad-serving software disclose its existence during the installation process. Read more about adware networks.

Adware is advertising-supported software that displays pop-up advertisements. Adware is usually available via free downloads from the Internet. Adware is often bundled with or embedded within freeware, utilitarian programs like filesharing applications, search utilities, information-providing programs (such as clocks, messengers, alerts, weather, and so on), and software such as screensavers, cartoon cursors, backgrounds, sounds, etc. Although seemingly harmless, some adware programs may track your Web surfing habits. Deleting adware may result in the deletion of the bundled freeware application.

Also known as malware, sneakware, or spyware, adware is a type of software program that’s installed without a users consent or knowledge while another program is being installed on the computer. Much like spyware, an adware program is used to track an individuals Internet activities and/or habits to help companies advertise more efficiently. Adware is commonly installed on a computer with free programs to help support the development of that program. Like spyware, adware can be located and removed from a computer using software utilities available on the Internet.

Software installed with some shareware or freeware, normally used to display web-based advertisement.

Programs that allow targeted advertising to be displayed on a customer's computer. Some spyware companies can misuse Adware by failing to obtain customer consent to the advertising or to the tracking of customer's internet activity.

Adware delivers pop-up banners to a user's PC and in some cases it can also deliver mailicious code to the user's PC system. This code can track a user's personal information which is passed on to third parties, without the user's knowledge.

Adware is one type of spyware. This is advertising-supported software that displays pop-up advertisements whenever the program is running. The software is usually available via free download from the Internet, and it is the advertisements that create revenue for the company. Although seemingly harmless (aside from intrusiveness and annoyance of pop-up ads), adware can install components onto your computer that track personal information (including your age, gender, location, buying preferences, surfing habits, etc.). Most advertising supported software doesn't inform you that it installs adware on your system, other than via buried reference in a license agreement. In many cases the software will not function without the adware component. Some adware can install itself on your computer even if you decline the offer.

A form of spyware that collects information about a user's browsing patterns.

Adware is a type of program that keeps track of where you go on line and uses that information to cause pop-up ads to appear on your computer. Similar to Spyware. There are programs that specificaly block Adware and Spyware. For example: Spybot and Adaware.

Software that covertly gathers user information through the user's Internet connection for advertising purposes. Source: Webopedia

Software that already has adverts embedded into it.

software that may have been installed on your computer by a remote site. Many free utilities that you download from the Internet will install hidden software that sends details of the websites you visit and other information from your computer (which can include your email address) to advertisers so they can target you with popup ads and spam. (From: http://www.hull.ac.uk/ict4lt/en/en_glossary.htm)

Advertising-supported software typically downloaded with other applications such as peer-to-peer file sharing.

A program, often installed without the knowledge of a user through such actions as visiting websites or downloading software, which pushes and displays paid advertising.

Adware (Werbe-Software) - Ein seriöses, sich selbst nicht replizierendes Programm, das auf dem Bildschirm des Endkunden Werbung anzeigt. Oft ermitteln solche Programme sein Anwenderverhalten, indem sie alle Webseiten protokollieren, die der Kunde besucht. Oder der Kunde darf im Gegenzug eine Software kostenlos verwenden (ähnlich dem Shareware-Konzept).

A form of Spyware which installs a program which generates advertising in the web browser based on information it collects from the user's browsing patterns. eg, Pop-up advertisements.

Programs known to cause advertisement pop-ups. Similar to spyware.

An Adware or advertising-supported program is an application that displays regular advertisements or pop-up windows with advertisements while a program is running. The Adware connects to parent Web site regularly when the user is online.

Advertising that is integrated into software. Adware is often combined with a host application that is provided at no charge as long as the user agrees to accept the adware.

a slighly less malicious form of Spyware which usually displays unwanted pop-up advertisements.

Also known as "spyware", a program hidden within free downloaded software that transmits user information via the Internet to advertisers.

Software that downloads and displays advertisements. This type of software is often bundled with 'freeware'. The software end user license agreement may say that by installing the software you agree to accept advertising.

Short for Advertising Display Software, a form of spyware that causes banners or pop-up ads to be generated on your computer while you are on the internet.

Software whose primary function is generating revenue by advertising targeted at the user of the computer on which the software resides. It earns revenue either by the vendor or vendors' partners. This does not imply that the adware captures or transmits any personal information as part of the software’s functions, although that may be the case.

Extra code written into an application that displays advertising banners to the applications user. These would usually come in the form of pop-up windows or a bar across the application screen. A large amount of Adware is incorporated into freeware/ shareware software to try and recoup some of the development costs. Adware works by sending details of your browsing habits to advertisers who then use this information to specifically target you with tailored services/ offers.

Like spyware, this is software that installs itself on another computer without the owner’s knowledge, and in certain situations places advertisements on the screen

Adware is any software application that has the ability to display advertisements on your computer. Some adware may track your Web surfing habits. These advertisements may be displayed in many forms, including, but not limited to, pop-up, pop-under, and banner advertisements. Adware may slow your Web browser’s performance. Worst case scenario: Some adware may have the ability to download third party software programs on your computer without your knowledge or consent.

Advertising that is put in a Web page, which is displayed while the page is being viewed. It may track a user's personal information and browsing behavior, and in some cases can pass it on without the user's consent or knowledge.

Adware are the predecessors of spyware. They are less pervasive, do not collect data about the user and do not contain any malicious code. However, they still need to download new advertisements and, as a result, cause unwanted network load. Like spyware, adware may cause potential conflicts with existing corporate software.

Short for advertsing-supported software are programs that displays or downloads advertising materials. They often take the form of spyware and have malicious intentions. BHO (Browser Helper Object) These are system files (DLL variety) that allows developers to customise and control Internet Explorer. Unfortunately, spyware often use BHO files to take over your browser. These are usually related to Toolbars, Anti-Virus software , etc. Cookie Cookies are files used by websites to remember a particular state. They are used to remember things like login details, shopping cart information for when doing online shopping, etc. The use of cookies is a feature built into web browsers and are required for some sites to function (online shops). They are not malicious but some third-party cookies may be an invasion of privacy and be able to identify you. Cookies are normal so there is no need for concern. You can delete your cookies every so often. Just pay attention to what sites you visit.

Adware is software welke is geïnstallerd op uw computer zonder dat u dat weet. Veel van de gratis software programma´s die u download van het Internet bevatten verborgen programa´s die informatie, zoals uw e-mail adres, website bezoek etcetera, doorstuurt naar adverteerders, die u weer spammen met pop-ups en spam (zelfs als u niet on-line bent)

Adware or advertising-supported software is any software package which automatically plays, displays, or downloads advertising material to a computer after the software is installed on it or while the application is being used.