Spam is not the only plague confronting Internet users. Increasingly, spyware is an uninvited and unwelcome intruder on personal computers.
It tracks where people go online, slows down systems, hijacks functions and plasters unwanted ads on the screen.
Today in Washington, the Federal Trade Commission will take a closer look at the problem at a workshop featuring experts from the hardware, software and security industries, as well as privacy and consumer advocates.
Among the issues to be discussed are defining spyware, looking at how it's distributed, understanding its effects and suggesting responses to the problem. At least two bills about spyware have been filed in Congress this year, and Utah became the first state to pass legislation to control it.
The FTC held a similar workshop last year about spam, which has continued to grow even after Congress passed a law intended to curb it.
