I can’t go a single day without reading about some new development related to spyware and adware. The latest issue of Revenue is jam packed with useful information about spyware, but even as the new issue arrives at your door (or a newsstand near you) there is still more spyware news to report.

As if we needed more proof that spyware and adware have gotten out of hand. This week anti-virus maker McAfee named adware from180solutions and Gator (now Claria Corp.) to its top 10 threats of 2004. What a difference a year makes. There wasn’t a single adware program on the McAfee list for 2003. McAfee makes its list based programs it intercepts online, samples users submit to the company for analysis and decoy programs that act as traps to weed out viruses and spyware. Not surprisingly, top-level executives for both 180solutions and Claria denied that their respective programs install ad-serving software without consumer’s permission.

Also this week, California Rep. Mary Bono re-introduced her Consumer Protection Against Spyware Act. Bono’s legislation passed the House last year but didn’t clear the Senate. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger approved the bill and it went into effect in The Golden State at the beginning of 2005. The new law makes it illegal to intentionally make or install computer software that can collect personal information, disable anti-virus shields and otherwise disrupt computer functionality. The bill also requires companies and Web sites to disclose whether its systems will install spyware. Consumers are allowed to seek up to $1,000 (US) dollars compensation if they think they have fallen victim to the intrusive software. Stay tuned as I expect lots of Californians to start filing lawsuits based on the bill. Let me know about your experiences with spyware or anything else about affiliate marketing that’s on your mind.