is the ebay tool bar a good thing? i almost got caught by phishing last night and it says it will help but i dont want to install alot of other crap along with it.
I’ve tried it, I don’t think it is necessary.
The problem with the word spyware is that everyone has their own definition of what spyware is. A word with no consistent definition is worse than useless. I prefer the terms junkware or crapware for the types of programs that are extremely difficult to remove and cause all the problems. Junkware and crapware are evil. Spyware is programs that send too much information back to advertisers or other companies. Spyware can be crapware, but it is certainly possible to be spyware without being crapware.
Anyways, it looks like the eBay Toolbar is considered spyware, but I found nothing credible that would make it crapware. The eBay Toolbar sends too much info back to the advertisers about your eBay habits, eBay searches, and other eBay activity. It’s enough information that they could track and identify individual users.
The only info I found that claimed the eBay Toolbar would install lots of other spyware programs came from obvious morons or people who were being blatantly dishonest. The claims that the eBay Toolbar is difficult to remove are also suspect. The reputable reviews of the toolbar all said it was easy to remove.
So the problem with the eBay Toolbar is that it gathers and tracks too much personal information about what you do on eBay. Several anti-spyware programs flag the eBay Toolbar as spyware and will attempt to remove the toolbar.
An alternative to the eBay Toolbar for detecting phishing attempts would be the Netcraft Toolbar. The Netcraft Toolbar will help you ID suspected phishing web sites, but I don’t believe that it will actually block those sites. What it will do is show you the URL of a site you are visiting, the country of that site, and other info about the site that will make it possible for you to make an informed decision as to whether the site you are at is who they say they are. If you follow a link in an email and end up at a Russian site then you be pretty sure that things are phishy.
I used the Netcraft Toolbar just to see what it is like. It does slow down the display of web sites because it needs to do lookups to find the domain information and other details about the site. It is easy to disable in IE (go to View >> Toolbars and clear the checkmark next to the Netcraft Toolbar). It is easy to completely uninstall. It is not spyware. But it doesn’t outright block phishing sites. It just makes it easier to ID them.
cool thanx guys…i guess i’ll just stay away from the tool bar…sounds like its better to smarter about other things.