"Mark" <makolber@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1176729586.325049.26200@y5g2000hsa.googlegrou ps.com
> STATE OF PA ADOBE TAX FORMS CONTAIN AKAMIA TECHNOLOGIES SPYWARE
>
> I downloaded some state Adobe .pdf tax forms from the official PA
> web site:
>
> http://www.revenue.state.pa.us/
>
> These forms are "fillinable" meaning you can type personal
> information into the blanks and save the form on your local drive then
> print out the filled in form all nice and neat. These are very handy
> and it is great that the state provides this.
>
> Once the form is downloaded, it exists on MY DRIVE so there is no
> need for this to access the Internet after it has been downloaded.
>
> Now the strange part.
>
> When I open the form from my local drive, (not from the Internet) my
> firewall tells me that Adobe is trying to contact something out on the
> Internet.
>
> Here is the readout I get:
>
> Direction: outgoing
> Local Point: 192.xxx.xxx.xxx, port 1892
> Adapter: Local Area Connection
> Remote Point: a204-2-179-17.deploy.akamaitechnologies.com
> [204.2.179.17], port http [80]
> Protocol: TCP
>
> I looked up Akamai technologies and they are a legit server provider.
>
> I can easily block this by going off line. After about 30 seconds
> Adobe gives up trying to reach the mother ship and the form still
> opens and everything works fine after that.
>
> So here are my questions..
>
> What info are they collecting when I open these Adobe tax forms from
> my local drive?
>
> Can I edit something in the file to stop this so I don't have to wait
> for it to time out each time I open a form?
>
> And I want to express my outrage about this spyware!!
>
> thanks
> Mark

Reader is trying to update itself. It's getting information about
available updates. Do you have version 8 yet?

You can turn it off, if you like. Copied from "Help":
1.. Choose Help > Check For Updates.
2.. In the Adobe Updater dialog box, click Preferences.
3.. Select Automatically Check For Adobe Updates, and specify whether
you want automatic checking on a weekly or monthly basis and whether or
not you want to be asked before updates are downloaded.
4.. Make sure that the application you are running (Adobe Reader or
Adobe Acrobat) is selected as the software that will be updated.
5.. If appropriate, click Browse to navigate to the location in which
you want the downloads to be placed.

--
Rhonda Lea Kirk

You must be the change you wish to see
in the world. Mohandas K. Gandhi