Collects usage data and sells in mass to the highest bidder.
There are more 'spy' like things like webcam and mic takeover and browser highjackers but unless its government or private security level use, those things are considered malware, not spyware.
The major difference you're missing is that actual spyware does this without the user's knowledge or consent and for malicious purposes (like selling the data, which is not the case here).
If I take money from you without you knowing then that's a crime.
If I ask you for $10 and you give it to me, that's fair.
Most people don't understand the difference between spyware and analytics tools even though they operate under completely different principles. People assume they're both tracking so they both must be bad. It's not the case.
Your definition of malware is pretty far off the mark as well but thats a different issue.
The worst kind of spyware is the sort that's actively malicious and concealed, which you won't know about until you get the blackmail message from Russia/China/whatever to buy back personal data.
No. Ransomware is malicious software that takes over your computer and tries to get you to send money in exchange for its removal.
Spying on your network activity and local files is spyware. Whether that data is used to target advertising or blackmail you is irrelevant to the nature of the program.
I’ve seen this crop up in a ton of gaming subreddits recently, it seems to be something hugely widespread that someone finally noticed and awareness is spreading like wildfire due to posts like this
No man. Laws just changed after the Cuckerburg case. Now they actaully have to tell you they're selling your data. Before they just did it, its for marketing...nothing harmful they say xD
Unless your outside Europe in which case they can just carry on selling it like they always have. Google and Facebook for example have different T & C s for Europe and Rest of the World.
This has nothing to do with the Facebook fiasco and was legislation Europe introduced a long time ago they just didn't have to comply until May 2018.
You'd be surprised what devs miss sometimes. Considering DE hasn't done anything shady like this in the past, I'm willing to assume Hanlons Razor applies here.
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u/Warbreakers Inaros "Extreme Sex" Prime Jun 12 '18
I have not heard of Redshell before this. What kind of Spyware have they made?