Stop Badware

From today’s SJ Mercury News:

A coalition of academics, consumer advocates and technology firms is taking aim at malicious software, launching a site today that it hopes will help protect consumers and place software makers under the harsh glare of scrutiny.

The Stop Badware Coalition said it intends to shine a spotlight on companies that trick Internet users into downloading programs that steal personal information, launch unwanted ads and spread computer viruses.

The effort is being run by Harvard University’s Berkman Center and the Oxford Internet Institute, with help from Consumer Reports. Technology companies Google, Lenovo and Sun Microsystems are providing undisclosed funding for the multi-year, multimillion-dollar project.

“I wish we were getting a handle on this problem, but I think it’s pretty substantial,” said Vint Cerf, Google’s Internet evangelist, about the malicious software problem. “There’s an uneasy feeling that going online is risky.”

Check them out at www.stopbadware.org.