Whether it's adware or spyware, we are all becoming increasingly familiar with Web-based software programs that collect personal data from our PCs while turning them into personal billboards. Marketers are concerned that consumers will become so offended by the practice that they will be turned off by Internet advertising in general.
Where Harvard Law School student Ben Edelman comes down on the issue is no mystery. He has become a leading figure in the fight against such programs. His analysis of how adware and spyware work, along with his opinion of which companies are the biggest offenders, has gotten him into hot water.
In this interview with CNET's News.com, Edelman discusses his mission and offers a viewpoint that should be of interest to any company looking at the future of Internet advertising, and the minefields that lie therein.