Tracking software

Tracking software is software that has the ability to record and track actions a person makes on a computer. One example is a cookie.

For example, if a user wants to check his email, tracking software will record it. The same concept can apply to chat, instant messages, web sites visited, keystrokes typed and so on.

Who uses tracking software?

There are two principal groups who use tracking software: parents and employers. Parents want to be certain their children are not involved with inappropriate web activity, and employers that need to track the activities that occur on workstations within their organization.

Controversy

Tracking software has been a source of controversy. While companies claim that the programs are used to protect children and enforce computer policies at workplaces, there has been strong criticism that this invades users' privacy. Other critics say that these software programs, especially with their keylogging capabilities, can be used for malicious purposes, such as identity theft and unauthorized access to other systems.

Often, one side of a company's operations will sell tracking software, while another side would consider tracking software to be spyware and offer programs designed to remove the programs. There are hundreds of responsible vendors of computer monitoring software such as ActMon and SpectorSoft, who explicitly forbid the use of monitoring software as spyware. Many companies also support detection by anti-spyware programs.

See also

• Computer surveillance
• Spyware

External Links

• An example of spying software An add-on to yahoo messenger for spying