To clarify further–Smiley Central is not adware nor spyware. According to their website (see http://help.myway.com/features/sbar2.html?ptnrS=ZPmhp001#q10):
Does the toolbar track where I go on the Internet?
No, the toolbar does not monitor or report information about where you are traveling or what you do on Web sites.
Is this toolbar “spyware”?
NO! The toolbar does not collect any personal information and is completely “spyware”-free and “adware”-free. Period.
The toolbar was specifically designed to provide a great user experience free of spyware, adware, direct marketing, data collection or other similar activities. In order to achieve that goal:
The toolbar software DOES NOT collect personal information of any kind, period. No email address, registration or other information is required to use the product. No zip code, no email, no member name, no password. Unlike many other products, we do not even attempt to collect data upon startup as a requirement of use.
The toolbar software DOES NOT monitor the websites visited by the end user, collect or in any manner report any information about what sites an end users visits (or any clickstream activity), nor does it monitor or scrape information when you are on other sites.
The toolbar software DOES NOT serve or facilitate so-called “contextual advertising” or pop-up ads. Many applications are identified as spyware because they monitor end-user Internet usage and serve contextual pop-ups. The toolbar does not engage in any such practices.
In short, this toolbar provides a superior search experience on an ANONYMOUS basis and without any additional monitoring, contextual ads or other nuisances.
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Why do some people mistake the toolbar for spyware?
We feel compelled to respond to the fact that our product is sometimes erroneously referred to as spyware. Such statements are completely false and in many cases subject to legal challenge as a form of libel. However, the reality is that there is a substantial amount of confusion and misinformation on the Web about how programs work and what “spyware” means.
This problem has been compounded by the evolution of so-called “spyware” detection programs that are being operated in many cases without attention to the facts or details. In many cases, these programs may label programs as “adware,” “spyware,” “malware,” “dataminer” or another classification simply because the program is a plug-in.
We have engaged in a productive dialog with many providers of spyware detection software that have acknowledged that our product is not spyware and removed it or properly classified the software.
But here’s what you really need to know: Your toolbar does not collect any personal information and is completely “spyware”-free and “adware”-free. Period.
The toolbar was specifically designed to provide a great user experience free of spyware, adware, direct marketing, data mining or other similar activities. In order to achieve that goal:
The toolbar software DOES NOT collect personal information of any kind, period. No email address, registration or other information is required to use the product. No zip code, no email, no member name, no password. Unlike many other products, we do not even attempt to collect data upon startup as a requirement of use.
The toolbar software DOES NOT monitor the websites visited by the end user, collect or in any manner report any information about what sites an end users visits (or any clickstream activity), nor does it monitor or scrape information when you are on other sites.
The toolbar software DOES NOT serve or facilitate so-called “contextual advertising” or pop-up ads. Many applications are identified as spyware because they monitor end-user Internet usage and serve contextual pop-ups. The toolbar does not engage in any such practices.
To provide our users with access to a range of high quality search engines AND to enable each user to customize his or her experience:
The toolbar software DOES install a browser plug-in that enables users to send a search query for processing by the toolbar using one or more of its search engines.
The toolbar software DOES send a small configuration request to the toolbar’s website upon start-up of the browser. This request is typically 5k in size and is made to confirm that the toolbar is properly configured in accordance with users’ settings and preferences.
The toolbar software DOES enable the toolbar’s website to transmit updates to the software upon notice to the user. We recognize that you may be sensitive to the issue of updating. Like many major online software distributors – including AOL, Microsoft, Yahoo, Real, etc. – we have designed updateable software in order to ensure that it can be kept current and in working order as changes may be made to Internet protocols, browser software, etc. Pursuant to our End User License Agreement, we guarantee that no update to the product or fix will ever be made in violation of the terms of the Agreement – which means that even if we do update the software, we will not deploy any software or technology that would monitor the user’s habits, collect personal information, or otherwise violate the commitments we have made to provide a product that is spyware-free and adware-free, unless we have received express agreement from the user.
In short, the toolbar provides a superior search experience on an ANONYMOUS basis and without any additional monitoring, contextual ads or other nuisances.