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Browzar browser described as adware

Browzar is a new application that purports to allow people to surf online and not leave any confidential information behind on their PC. But experts are saying that Browzar not only fails horribly at doing this, but also pushes users towards ads by manipulating the results of their searches.

The developers of Browzar claim that the software wipes histories, cookies and caches. It also has no auto-complete functionality for search terms and websites.

Browzar, surprisingly, is also not really a browser. Rather it is an Internet Explorer interface that will have exactly the same problems as the version of IE that it is installed with. However, this is minor compared to the problems that Browzar has on its own. Files that are deleted are easy to find again meaning that all the information that is supposed to be unavailable can easily be recovered. It also keeps a list of visited websites in the index.dat file.

And to top it all off Browzar tries to get users to go to the Browzar website, by inserting their sponsored links into search results. It also makes sure that the user's home page is always Browzar's website.

Bruce Schneier, a security guru claims that this application can be described as adware, however Ajaz Ahmed, who owns Freeserve, the business behind Browzar, says that it isn't adware and simply has sponsored links, like any search engine. They will however be looking into the criticism.


Read the original article here

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/09/04/browzar_backlash/


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