From the very beginning, an essential part of our company policy has been the commitment to providing accurate information about threats to your privacy and security, so that YOU can make informed decisions about how to handle possible threats.

Along with the extensive analysis and strict requirements that we have in place when objects are identified as spyware and malware in our Detection Database, we have always believed in leaving the door open for direct dialogue with adware vendors (authors/distributors of what is commonly referred to as malware and spyware).

It's a key part of our commitment - working towards a safer computing environment. We are not only interested in cleaning up and blocking spyware from your computer system, which is the short fix, we are also determined to create long-term social change. We openly invite direct interaction with software vendors that are detected by Lavasoft, giving them the opportunity to make acceptable improvements to their products. The process of classification at Lavasoft is stringent, and many companies drop off as soon as they realize the extent of involvement required to be removed from detection.

There are examples out there, however, of adware vendors that are also interested in keeping a continuous dialogue open. No doubt many of you have heard of Zango, and you've most likely seen them in detection at Lavasoft as well as other security companies many times over the years. Most companies will detect adware from a company like Zango and then call it a day. Believe it or not, we found that we share some common ground; Zango also believes open cooperation between adware vendors (that's them) and scanning application vendors (that's us) is long overdue.

We recently received the following comment from Zangos Director of Industry Affairs:

"Thanks for your efforts to keep Ad-Aware one of the most accurate scanning applications on the market."

That doesn't mean that either side is necessarily satisfied. And it is not always easy to keep the dialogue open and moving because we are still at very ends of the spectrum in terms of corporate objectives. However, as we believe here at Lavasoft, that open dialogue is a vital part of the process if the computer users (that's you) are going to benefit in the end.

Note: At present, Zango continues to be in detection at Lavasoft with accurate classification that allows the computer user (you) to determine whether to remove or allow Zango adware.