In spite of their assurances to the contrary, Skype have been snooping on their users for the last couple of months. From mid-December up to the release of version 3.0.0.216 last Thursday, a third-party component built in to Skype called EasyBits was secretly probing users' machines and recording motherboard serial numbers. In fact, if it hadn't been for a stuff-up in the way the application handles 64-bit CPUs, nobody would have been any the wiser.

Skype insist they did no wrong and that their software really doesn't contain any spyware. But what of the third-part applications they incorporate into that software? And where did the captured information go?

The EasyBits addtion was to enable our old friend Digital Rights Management (DRM). It attempted to ensure that pay-for plugins weren't being nicked.

Incidentally, one of those plugins is the KishKish Lie Detector, a highly-dubious addition that supposedly monitors the real-time stress levels in the voice of the person you're talking to. Keep that in mind next time you phone in with a sickie!