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Old December 4th, 2001
X++_man
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Default Re: Don't believe the hype

From http://www.simplythebest.net/info/spyware.html

Gator helps you to fill out forms and remember usernames and passwords of sites you frequently visit. You may even have credit card information readily available when you wish to purchase something online. A very dangerous thing to do. Your personal information is stored on your computer in an encrypted file. Gator accesses this personal information, using your IP address. Gator targets consumers based on site visitation and historical behavior. Gator provides aggregate statistics about its customers, traffic patterns and related site information to third-party vendors. As banners from sites you visit are being served, Gator will show their advertiser's banners instead.

Trickler (a modul of Gator) is an "install stub", a small program that is installed with the application you really wanted. (Gator almost always appears on your system due to installing OTHER software, and not the installer available from Gator's website.) When installed, Trickler inserts a Run key in your Registry so that it is silently and automatically loaded every time you start your computer. Trickler runs hidden and very slowly downloads the rest of Gator/OfferCompanion onto your system. It is suggested that this "trickling" activity is intended to slip under the user's radar, the steady, low usage of bandwidth going unnoticed.
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