Internet Society of China has published its final definition of malicious software after it has collected more than 8,500 opinions from the public since early this month.

The institute published a draft on the definition of malicious software and began collecting opinions from the public on November 8, China News Service reported today.

Malicious software is defined as a program that is installed on computers or other terminals without the user's permission and infringes the user's rights. However, viruses that have been acknowledged by the country are exceptions, it said, which is compiled by the society and more than 30 Internet organizations.

Malicious software has at least one of the following features:

*Installed on computers or other terminals without notification or approval;

*Not offering uninstalls, or still exists after the user's uninstalls it;

*Changing user's Websites or other settings without permission, forcing users to visit appointed Websites or disables the users Internet;

*Triggering pop-up ads after installing software on computers or other terminals without permission;

*Collecting user's information without notification or permission;

*Misleading and deceiving users to uninstall non-malicious software without notification or permission;

*Bundling with acknowledged malicious software;

*Other behaviors that infringe user's "right to know" and "right to choose."

A coalition has organized Internet users to take legal action against five companies, including Yahoo China and eBay Eachnet, amid increasingly heated disputes between several Websites and accusations of them profiting from "malicious software," or rouge software.

The government-backed China Internet Network Information Center is the latest target of the coalition.

Editor: Donald