The likes of Yahoo, AOL, Computer Associates, CNET Networks and Verizon have banded together to back a TRUSTe initiative - the Trusted Download Program, a whitelist of adware that's certified to adhere to best practices - intended to help advertisers determine where to spend their ad dollars, writes ClickZ. Most industry participants don't yet have clearly defined policies for using the whitelist, but do expect it to play some role in selecting companies with which to do business.

TRUSTe will be responsible for monitoring and enforcing the just-announced standards (see below); a beta launch of the program is expected early next year. Meanwhile, TRUSTe is accepting feedback from stakeholders.

To qualify for whitelist inclusion, the adware and trackware must disclose the types of advertising to be displayed, personal information to be tracked, and user settings that may be altered. Other requirements are obtaining opt-in consent before the download, providing clear uninstall instructions, and labeling ads with the name of the adware program.

Some believe the effort marks the beginning of the end for adware worst practices, writes InformationWeek.

"I think we'll look back at 2005 - with the announcement of this program, advances in anti-spyware technology and dramatically bolstered enforcement - as the turning point," Ari Schwartz, the deputy director of the Center for Democracy & Technology, said in a statement.

"The dirty little secret about adware today is that legitimate companies fuel the problem, and TRUSTe's program promises to change that," said Jon Leibowitz, an FTC (Federal Trade Commission) commissioner, in a statement.