Spyware is computer software that collects personal data about the users and their surfing habits without their consent. Often, spyware is bundled with other packages and without reading the entire Ts & Cs of an installation, the user may be unaware that spyware is being installed onto their machine.

There are many different types of spyware and tracking systems; some record keystrokes, some record web browsing history, some scan documents from PC hard drives and send it on. Some spyware is aimed at criminal activities such as obtaining passwords and private data; other pieces of spyware are aimed at targetted advertising on the users machine.

Spyware is incredibly well-spread and is still growing. The development of an anti-spyware community has now grown to try and remove spyware from user machines and prevent spyware installations in the first place. However, some spyware makers now pretend to be anti-spyware, and by isntalling the anti-spyware measure, users inadverently download even more spyware onto their machines.

Best practices for the prevention of spyware include:
- using an internet browser that is not internet explorer, for example by using Opera or Firefox, as much spyware is written for IE alone.
- only visiting trusted sites
- never download anything unless you are certain of the source

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