Four groups have sprung up to fight the insidious software that pops up ads on screens or spies on PC users. Last month, the number of efforts to fight adware and spyware doubled with the announcement of two new initiatives: Spywaretesting.org, a consortium of antivirus companies, and StopBadware.org, an initiative led by two universities. The new initiatives were the hot hallway topic outside an event hosted by the Anti-Spyware Coalition here Thursday. Some predict the efforts will collide, as each group is dedicated to helping consumers deal with the insidious software. “To many of us, it is completely baffling why there are so many different groups out there,” said Alex Eckelberry, president of Sunbelt Software, a maker of anti-spyware tools. According to a Pew Internet & American Life Project study published last year, roughly 59 million American adults have spyware or adware on their computers.