For the computer wiz. Can the software frontends or api's , charting services, snoop on our computers and send all information on the computer to themselves. Can the brokers see all information on computers since we have their software sitting there 24 hours a day ? Obviously this is a question can they , not would they.
Any time you run software that you didn't write, and have an Internet connection open, you run a risk (however small) that the program will do something you don't want. There are some applications, such as Zone Alarm (http://www.zonelabs.com/store/content/home.jsp), that will block outgoing traffic. At some point, you have to trust your software suppliers if you want to get any useful work done.
Hi taodr, Very good question. I often wondered about this myself. I posted about this in the past, but didn't find many takers! I believe any executable that you chose to install could be a menace. With all the financial hanky panky the newspapers inform us almost daily about, it would be prudent to assume that one day you're going to have company (especially if you're with that sparse winning group ). Best is to dedicate one computer to your communication-style software and keep your other things out of it. Also make sure you put enough of a barrier between this computer and the rest. This ain't necessarely simple! "Luck fights at the side of the prudent." Euripides, Greek Philosopher. Be good, nononsense
rwk, I don't think that ZoneAlarm style of sotware can protect you against outgoing traffic of the kind we are talking about here. The reason is that you HAVE to allow outgoing traffic to make your trading application work. No? Be good, nononsense
Why would anyone care about what is on your computer? There should be a "conspiracy theory" forum, with this as the first thread.
Yes they can, if they wanted to/inclined to. They could make it log key presses and send data back, send lists of files from your directorys back etc, anything at all. When you run any program on your comp a lot of "good faith" is implied in that the company isnt doing something you dont want them to or that that little calculator program isnt secretly sending copys of your emails to E.Vil Corp. Obviously if they DID and people found out (very rarely would anything like that go on for long without someone noticing and raising a alert to others) then that company would find itself: A) With lots of lawyers calling them. B) Losing all their customers etc.
True izeickl, But would it really be against the law to do this? I have been reading about this lately. Some people believe it is kind of like wiretapping, but it isn't really wiretapping! So what protection does the law really give you if it would happen? Not so simple it seems. Legislators seem to be more concerned with protecting the "rights" of the Hollywood folks. Be good, nononsense
Nononsense,, amen. Why cant we purchase a dvd in europe and put it in our laptops and watch them, because hollywood says we cant. You can purchase a cd in europe and play it but dvd's no way. Somehow we have allowed hollywood to get to powerful. They and the music industry are going to be forced into a new economic model whether they like it or not. There was once a term called "starving artist" which the hollywood types dont want to return to. Sorry if so many mid-level and upper level executives have to take pay cuts but thats happening to the working class as we speak. The information on zone alarm is great and I intend to download it.