Adware

Adware

Adware, also known as advertising-supported software, is a type of software that displays advertisements on a computer or mobile device. These advertisements can appear in the form of pop-up windows, banners, or in-text ads. Adware is often included with free software downloads as a way for developers to generate revenue.

While some adware is relatively harmless and simply displays ads, others can be more intrusive and may track your online activities in order to display targeted ads. This can raise privacy concerns and slow down your device’s performance.

It is important to be cautious when downloading software from the internet and to read through the terms and conditions to see if adware is included. Additionally, installing ad-blocking software can help prevent unwanted advertisements from appearing on your device.

Examples of popular adware include Superfish, Conduit, and OpenCandy. These programs have been known to display excessive ads and collect user data without consent.

For more information on adware, you can visit the Wikipedia page on Adware.