If Widgets Morph Into Spyware, Bad Things Could Happen
Widgets have become the unexpected buzzword of 2007; just a few weeks ago I discussed how they can be used for marketers to disseminate information. But I’m realizing that this buzz is eerily similar to the buzz that surrounded desktop applications in the late ’90s. Desktop applications and embedded applications became hot — right up until they became overused and exploited. Basically they morphed into a nasty little term called “spyware,” and companies like Gator and WhenU took the heat for the majority of the ills facing online advertising, either deservedly or undeservedly.