Two Positive Uses For Keyloggers
A keylogger is any type of utility that records the keystrokes made by someone on a computer. For many people, the first things that come to mind when they hear that word are images of malicious use; hackers, credit card thieves, and people stealing passwords. While people do use them for these purposes, there are also some uses that can be beneficial and not bad at all.
Document Recovery - Most computer users have experienced a situation where they're working on a long email, research paper, or project, and suddenly either their computer crashes or the power goes out and they lose all their work. If they didn't remember to save every so often, or if they're using a program that doesn't have an auto-save feature, the result will be that they lost all their work. In this situation, a keylogger can be used to recover the entire contents of the paper or document that was being typed.
Monitoring Your Children - Keyloggers can also be used to monitor the people with whom your children chat online. At first it may seem like an invasion of privacy, but if you go this route it is important to explain to your children that you are just trying to protect them from online predators and not invade their privacy. Remember that trust is important and your children will not be too upset if they know you are looking out for their best interest.
Unfortunately, these programs have gotten a bad rap because usually they are featured in the news in a story relating to some cyber-crime. But in actual application, they also have some beneficial uses that can save you a lot of time and effort.
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