gator.com

I downloaded Gator after it popped up in one of those really annoying advert windows you sometimes get on sites. I was enticed by the blurb about never having to fill in forms etc... and so I gave it a go. I wish I hadn't bothered.

Firstly, I had to sit for hours entering loads of info that its very unlikely I will ever use. Then, despite the assurances Gator gave about not giving out my email and personal details, I found that my email address contained 3 pieces of spam mail. I wouldn't complain but I dont use this address, I only set it up so I could put it in on Gator to see how it worked before commiting my real email account to it. Isn't that a breach of UK law or something? Data protection act and all that?

Oh well. The program itself was poor at doing what it was supposed to as well. The promise was that it would 'fill in all your forms''no need to fill out a form ever again'. Well, thats not strictly true. Gator was annoying because if the form didn't ask for your details in the correct order it would sometimes put the wrong thing in the box (so you end up with your email address where you telephone number should be!). Secondly, if the field isnt recognised by Gator because its been called something else (American Slang always confuses it) then you will be asked to type in the info manually anyway. All in all, it saved me very little time on filling my forms out.

The program also remains at the bottom of your toolbar all the time too. This shouldn't seem so bad but it takes up valuable memory, and turning it off every time you restart your computer is a chore. I hated it.

Now lets get to the bottom of it. THE PROGRAM HAS SPY SOFTWARE! Thats right. Unbeknown to little old me, the program was tracking exactly what sites I went to, when and how often. It never said anything about this in the intro pack. You will find it deep in the full terms and conditions though, buried in the 'small print'. Great. Finding this out, I uninstalled it immediately. I don't do anything untoward on the internet, but knowing someone was tracking everything I was doing made me a little uneasy, and in the end outright angry.

I have to say, don't use this program, get rid of it if you have it, and whatever you do, REMOVE YOUR DETAILS when you delete the program, otherwise IT STORES THEM ON THEIR SITE (although it doesn't do this if Gator is still installed).

Steer well, well clear.