Definitions of Spyware on the Web:

[muckshifter]

Definitions of Spyware on the Web:

A general term for a program that surreptitiously monitors your actions. While they are sometimes sinister, like a remote control program used by a hacker, software companies have been known to use Spyware to gather data about customers. The practice is generally frowned upon.
www.visiontm.com/Spy/Glossary.htm

What are spyware and adware?
kb.indiana.edu/data/glos.html

Secret code hidden in an otherwise harmless program. Spyware permits unauthorized access to a computer, allowing someone else to observe the user, read data, or even control the computer. Open source is transparent, so it's nearly impossible to hide spyware.
www.netc.org/openoptions/appendices/glossary.html

A somewhat vague term generally referring to software that is secretly installed on a users computer and that monitors use of the computer in some way without the users' knowledge or consent.
www.jahadesign.com/glossary.htm

Programs that, when installed on your computer, change settings, display advertising, and/or track Internet behaviour and report information back to a central database. Spyware sometimes installed unintentionally by users along with other wanted software, and can be very hard to remove. Also known as malware. http://www.techlearning.com/content/outlook/itguy/2003/6-26.html
dtp.epsb.net/glossary.htm

Any software that covertly gathers user information through the user's Internet connection without his or her knowledge, usually for advertising purposes. Spyware applications are typically bundled as a hidden component of freeware or shareware programs that can be downloaded from the Internet. Once installed, the spyware monitors user activity on the Internet and transmits that information in the background to someone else. Spyware can also gather information about e-mail addresses and even passwords and credit card numbers. Also called adware.
www.tjiss.net/glossary_s.html

Any application that may track a person's or organization's online and/or offline PC activity and is capable of locally saving or transmitting those findings to third parties, most often without their knowledge or consent.
www.targetmarketingmag.com/sics/282274424589234.bsp

Spyware is commonly known as malicious software installed on a machine, sometimes with a user's consent. Some software producers and webmasters who offer downloadable content put spyware in executable downloads in order to earn a profit from a third party or track the activity of a user. Spyware can be removed with free products like AdAware and Spybot. Websitenova does NOT distribute spyware or adware. Anything downloaded from this site, unless otherwise mentioned, should be clean.
www.websitenova.com/templates/htmlhelpcenter/firststeps/website-terminology-glossary.php

Spy ware & Ad ware are files that are installed on your computer without your knowledge. They allow companies to monitor your Internet browsing patterns and even allow companies to inundate you with those annoying "pop up" ads!
www.ccngroup.org/i-terms.htm

Software that monitors the activities of a user, more information ...
www.cryer.co.uk/glossary/S.htm

Strictly defined, spyware consists of computer software that gathers and reports information about a computer user without the user's knowledge or consent. More broadly, the term spyware can refer to a wide range of related malware products which fall outside the strict definition of spyware. These products perform many different functions, including the delivery of unrequested advertising (pop-up ads in particular), harvesting private information, re-routing page requests to illegally claim com
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spyware


I use the term "Nastie" ... have a good read.