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Adware is software that displays unsolicited advertisements to users. It’s often bundled with free applications and funded by delivering ads—such as banners, pop-ups, or in-app ads—sometimes alongside tracking to tailor those ads. The defining idea is that the program’s noticeable effect is ad presentation, which can be annoying or intrusive. This differentiates it from spyware, which secretly collects information about the user, and from a Trojan or rogueware, which disguise themselves as legitimate software to mislead or deceive the user.