SpyKiller lies about Opera
SpyKiller writes:
Spyware is installed "piggy backed" along with popular programs such as KaZaA, GrokSter, iMesh, Opera and others.
Short response: Skykiller lies. I know you'll find it hard to believe that anyone would write something untrue in their marketing copy, but it's true.
Longer response follows:
Most marketing is all about making quick claims and assuming that no one will fact-check you. Most of the time this is done by saying things that border on truth without actually being completely true.
In this case, it isn't even close to the truth. This isn't a difficult nuance to understand.
Many applications, such as KaZaA, will install applications that work alongside of the main application. These applications are generally well hidden, hard to erase, set to automatically launch when Windows boots up, and require a special program to remove. They serve pop-up and/or pop-under ads, they suck your RAM, you can't quit them easily (if at all). They hide in the Windows process listing and if you try to quit it, most spyware will relaunch itself.
Opera does not match any definition of "spyware" that passes the laugh-test.
Opera is ad-supported. Opera makes this very clear. Opera lets you choose what kinds of ads you want (graphical ads or Google relevant text ads, otherwise known as "rads").
The Google rads work like Google Ad-sense. They offer you ads which are similar to pages that you are viewing.
The ads only appear in the Opera window.
There is no personal identification used.
Want to be completely anonymous? Choose the graphical ad version. How? Goto Preferences > Advertising > Show Generic Selection of Graphical Ads.
Quit Opera, and the ads go away.
How is this spyware? Really, can anyone make an argument with a straight face?
See also: Opera's ad privacy declaration.
Folks have been understandably concerned about security and privacy online. The problem is that there is far too often worried about the wrong thing. First it was cookies (which are 99% innocent).
There is a lot of spyware out there, no question. But any anti-spyware program that claims Opera contains spyware is simply wrong and deceitful by any reasonable definition.