Alexa

[pax anglia]

I have just run a check using Ad-Aware and it revealed something called "Alexa" as Spyware. Having done a search it would appear that it is connected with Amazon. This is a shame really, as I have had excellent service from them in the past (latest book arrived last Tuesday) and I would have hoped that they were above this sort of thing.

[Hew Jampton]

Alexa isn't on it yet but there's a very good site at http://www.fappo.org/opt_out.htm that shows how to set up opt-out cookies from most of these sites. Ad-aware doesn't seem to recognize all of them as opt-out cookies, however, so you have to configure Ad-aware to ignore them, once they are set up. When using Ad-aware, don't forget to use their RefUpdate program to update the list of spyware cookies.

[Background Noise]

I would have replied to this anyway as I am currently very cheesed off with Amazon. They've strung me along about the availablity of a product, even telling me on the phone that it was being despatched there and then. Needless to say it still hasn't come, the order tracking says it is 'dispatching soon' but they took the money last Tuesday.

Anyway, having only recently installed a completely new XP I haven't been to many internet sites yet - however one was Amazon. I've just done an ad-aware scan and there's alexa too. So if it is from them I'm going to be doubly pee'd off and they are going to get another snotagram.

I've done some more searching - it seems you can't escape it. Alexa seems to be associated with Amazon, Google and even Microsoft. See these links:

http://searchenginewatch.com/searchday/02/sd0514-alexa.html

http://pages.alexa.com/company/partners.html?p=Corp_W_t_40_L1