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a copy of Iolo Technologies' System Mechanic 7, which is a tool for fixing a myriad of issues on your computer, when I almost clicked Next as usual at the 300 million page license agreement.

After all, it was a legit program. It's not like I was installing a file-sharing tool or something else that you would expect to be laden with open doors for viruses and spyware.

Something caught my eye in the first paragraph, however, just a small wording difference from the usual agreement. My interest was piqued, so I continued to read the entire document. Lo and behold, buried beneath many pages of gibberish that means nothing to the average legal user, was the disturbing nugget of information. The license agreement, under the heading of "Software Data Collection and Monitoring" stated the following: "The SOFTWARE contains features that allow iolo and/or third parties to collect data from, control, and/or monitor computers and devices running or interacting with the SOFTWARE in order to prevent unlicensed or illegal use of the SOFTWARE."

The English version of that is that Iolo is allowed to take information from your computer, including what other programs you are using, in order to make sure that you are not pirating the software.

Talk about a security risk! Even the fact that the program (which is supposed to be doing things like defragmenting the hard drive and fixing registry errors) would have the ability to do such a thing is beyond anything that would have been seen in a license agreement five years ago. Obviously efforts taken to prevent software piracy are commendable, but not at the expense of your user's privacy.

You can argue that a legitimate security company like Iolo is not going to do something illegal, but giving any company the permission (not just the ability, but the permission) to take hold of your computer is simply asking for problems. Who is to say that a dishonest employee of the company couldn't take control of your computer for his or her own purpose? What would stop the company from simply spying on you? It's pretty far-fetched, granted, but is it a risk that you really want to plunge into without reading about it first?

We live in a day and age of fine print. You see it in T.V. commercials and magazine ads, you hear it in that really fast talking guy's voice at the end of radio commercials, and now, you are seeing it in the license agreements of that new piece of software you just bought.

The difference, however, is that you don't store personal information in your T.V. or your radio. Read your license agreements and read them well. I am not advocating that you don a tin-foil hat and never install another program because it might be dangerous or include some nasty text in the agreement, but it only takes one program like that to wreck a computer or steal your information, and this is a simple and painless way to save yourself from problems down the road.

Learn more about this author, Ian Essling.
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