Yahoo has released a new version of its toolbar that targets, explains and eliminates spy-ware and ad-ware programs. Installed without user knowledge, spy-ware and ad-ware programs monitor your movement, your words and your communications. With spy-ware, information is fed back to the writer of the software. They sell that information to whomever wants to pay for it. You should know, that information is often personal, useful and identifiable. Important stuff like credit card numbers are NOT safe on your computer screen unless you are certain your computer is free of spyware. Ad-ware is slightly different in that it feeds advertising to your machine based on your surfing behaviors. A quick way to check for one form of ad-ware is to look in the upper left hand corner of your browser window. Do you see a small Netscape logo or an Internet Explorer logo, or do you see the logo for your local radio station? (this does not apply to MAC users or users of alternative browsers). Most ad-ware is more subtle than that though. If you don’t have another means of removing spyware and adware, try Yahoo’s new toolbar. Just a quick note though… Like the Google toolbar, the Yahoo toolbar feeds information back to its maker.