MySearchBar is it spyware or not?

I'm not sure if it's spyware but it is a fishy program. The reason I ask this is because I went and tried out WeatherBug and and it installed MSearchBar. I was told that I had the right to opt out of installing that but I didn't see any opt out. Well I went and sent an email to a person from weatherbug and they swear up and down that they aren't spyware and even told me I could opt out of insatlling MySearchBar. Mattter of fact here is a quote from the email I got. "As to how you got Mysearch- we have a very clear OPTIONAL install page- you MUST click that you want MySearch- if you don’t click the NEXT button, you cannot continue with the download. An entirely separate window pops up during WeatherBug install and asks if you understand that you are opting to install the MySearch toolbar? It also says that if you don’t want to install it you can uncheck the box and it won’t. I know this because many users opt not to install it every day."

I would likie to know what everyone elses thinks here. Is this a bunch of BS or what? Is MySearchBar Spyware? I know it's Foistware. Kephyr calls it foistware.

Please keep it nice and clean.

 

Hi notageek,

Here is some more information:
http://doxdesk.com/parasite/MySearch.html

Just my personal opinion here, but I dislike anything with the Opt-out feature. I like to choose first whether I want a product installed, not whether I want to opt-out after the fact.

Regards,

snap

 

Yeah, all the spyware experts do suggest to remove it if they didn't download it. I just think it's funny that the people at WeatherBug are claiming that WeatherBug isn't adware or spyware. Im sure Weatherbug don't track your surfing but it does infact have MySearchBar bundled with the program. I don't care if you can Opt out or not, it's the fact that WeatherBug comes bundle with that kind of program.

Here's anothewr quote from the email I recieved from a person that works for WeatherBug. "Thanks for writing. My response is two-fold- first, my team and I check all the major anti-spyware programs against WeatherBug every week. I am aware that unlike Spybot, spykiller, adaware, pest patrol, webwasher, spysweeper, unfortunately Bulletproof does list us- but NOT as spyware. If you check when you run it, and click on the WeatherBug listing- it takes you to kephyr.com which very clearly says we’re NOT spyware. I would disagree that we’re adware in that most people define adware as a program whose sole or primary function is to deliver ads. We have an ad-free version and in our new version (not the 6.0 which is about to launch), if you pick a sponsor, you only get that sponsor’s ad for 3 days- then the next 27 days are sponsor-free! It also does NOT call MySearch spyware- it calls it foistware and defines this as a program that comes installed with an unrelated program."