What Is Free and Who Is It Free To? Malware Is Free, and So Is Its Removal

Free is the most commonly used word charged with alluring us into commerce for products and services. Everywhere we look we are being sold to. Advertisement permeates all forms of media. It is here to stay. And as such, we accept that we are not free from being advertised to. Free can only become free if someone makes it free. For this, incentives must exist to make it so. Not all advertisement campaigns are deployed for financial gain. Commercials can be constructive, revealing, informative, beneficial and even necessary. Their objective is to engage our attention in a way that appeals to our needs, and in an unoffensive, buyer friendly manner.

Free - highly visible, bold, colorful, flash enabled - to get our attention and engage us in further action toward what is being offered. Very large entities are in business to make things free. The amount of work, resources and expenses required to develop a product for sale and profit - equally go into the product being offered for free. And even more so to compensate the efforts that make them free.

TV, still the dominant means of advertisement, provides a clear example. Just as the paid cable and satellite services have expanded the variety of options and choices available to us, so have the opportunities for more effective and targeted advertising expanded. Free Internet TV programs offer an extensive range of functionality and channel selection. Lately I've been watching a free internet TV program run uninterruptedly.

When I started using the service, I enjoyed the functionality and convenience, compared to other services I've used for years. I especially appreciated the absence of commercial interruptions. After a few hours I noticed random 15 second commercials appearing. No big deal as it is still far better than what I was used to. A few days later I was surprised to see a full 1 minute commercial with the option of viewing it once at the beginning (the rest of the program being commercial free), or, viewing regular, brief commercial breaks throughout the program. The more time I spend using the service, the more advertisement I am forced to see. These ads cannot be avoided, interrupted, altered, or deleted.

Some of these commercials ask whether the content is relevant to us (the viewers), to which we may select yes or no. A sort of discreet way of gathering statistics and valuable information about its viewers. An auto manufacturer commercial gives us the choice as to which of 3 ads displayed we would prefer to see. Even though all 3 reference the same commercial - choosing one over another gives them insight as to which images are most appealing to us. With this information they claim to modify the content accordingly in order to improve our ad experience. Whether our preference is people, animals or nature, (and cars), is irrelevant. The idea is to identify motives that enable them to sell us something. They are counting on getting any response at all. Responding either way validates the purpose, to successfully engage our attention - and confirm that someone is participating. This provides insight that may otherwise be difficult to obtain. They have bought the rights to pursue this research activity in exchange for offering the (TV) service free to the viewing audience, in order to identify and record viewer preferences, and develop a more targeted, refined and effective presentation and interface.

I suppose that we have led them to believe that if they can subconsciously deliver customized, targeted, appealing content that is relevant to us, that we will buy into that product or service. By the way, buying the product doesn't make the commercial go away. I tried it. You can imagine my disappointment. Actually, I now get to see full 2 minute commercials on my free internet TV service - all of which include that relentless auto insurance provider we see everywhere else - and I am not asked whether it is relevant to me. Can you imagine if they opened it up for comment or feedback? The advertising was not disclosed by the service I chose to try - and gradually the ads worked their way in without my knowledge or consent. Overall this is a non issue - as free products and services require support and management - no less than any of the paid options. There is no wrong doing in any of this. It's merely slightly intrusive and offensive at times.

Does this resemble adware? or spyware? Spam at the very least. To me the principal seems to be the same. The distributors of these forms of malware are very resourceful - and able to infiltrate our senses to the extent that we do not even recognized them as such.

Back to our discussion on ad ware, spy ware, phishing, spam, ID theft, viruses, root-kits... At one time or another, we've all discovered a program or component that seemed to sneak its way in without our consent - as in the TV illustration - and wondered how it got there. Toolbars are of the most obvious of these, (as if these features weren't literally at your fingertips anyway). Another is changing our preferences or defaults such as search engines, browsers, extensions, and others. Typically, we are prompted to click on the download and installation sequence. First, we review a description of the item selected for download, then a series of dialogues that open and require user input to continue - such as agreement to terms, download location, default or advanced options and so forth. Many of these will also include options which are de-emphasized or hidden (the fine print) throughout these prompts. You may or may not overlook the smaller or less obvious features which tend to blend in - drawing your attention to the agree to, click on, select and so on - and continue the installation. Usually these extras are pre-checked and will be included in the installation unless unchecked. Or even worse, conditional and included in the terms of agreement. Most often, this is how we invite these elements into our machines.

Commercials are nonetheless a necessary resource for communication. We've always managed to tune out and live with them. There is substantial information and quality exposure to very relevant content promulgating innovative, constructive, solutions and services, regarding many interests, and concerning many audiences. Commercials can provide us with unbiased perspective on existing knowledge and conditions we otherwise may not be aware of. Advertising can be effective, informative, and educational without being repulsive and eager to sell us something. Often, the creators of free products will offer their services free of advertisements with their paid upgrades and premium versions. Currently, I'm still watching free internet TV as it is still far more appealing than the alternatives. And as of yet....I have not been restricted from clicking the mute button.