Editing Spyware (section)

==="Stealware" and affiliate fraud===
A few spyware vendors, notably [[180 Solutions]], have written what the ''[[New York Times]]'' has dubbed "[[stealware]]", and what spyware researcher [[Ben Edelman]] terms ''affiliate fraud'', a form of [[click fraud]]. Stealware diverts the payment of [[affiliate marketing]] revenues from the legitimate affiliate to the spyware vendor.

Spyware which attacks [[affiliate network]]s places the spyware operator's affiliate tag on the user's activity – replacing any other tag, if there is one. The spyware operator is the only party that gains from this. The user has their choices thwarted, a legitimate affiliate loses revenue, networks' reputations are injured, and vendors are harmed by having to pay out affiliate revenues to an "affiliate" who is not party to a contract.<ref name="edelman-180">Edelman, Ben (2004). "[http://www.benedelman.org/spyware/180-affiliates/ The Effect of 180solutions on Affiliate Commissions and Merchants] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100706160627/http://www.benedelman.org/spyware/180-affiliates/ |date=July 6, 2010 }}". ''Benedelman.org''. Retrieved November 14, 2006.</ref> [[Click fraud|Affiliate fraud]] is a violation of the [[terms of service]] of most affiliate marketing networks. Mobile devices can also be vulnerable to [[chargeware]], which manipulates users into illegitimate mobile charges.