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Claria Leaves Adware Business
Alex Stern writes "In an attempt to clean up its tarnished name, Claria
has hired Deutsche Bank to help them sell off the software tools that were previously supported by their adware. Claria says they are unwilling to sell the software for the GAIN ad network, or the data they have collected from their users. Claria is also holding on to their eWallet software that manages passwords. On July 1, Claria will shutdown the GAIN network and inform their users they can either uninstall their software or pay for it. Claria's new business model is 'a new platform designed to provide consumers with a personalized Internet experience.'"
Now that (officially) they wont log data, does this mean MS antispyware will be set to default remove?
I don't think you can clear a name that has been into spyware. I know I won't trust them for anything else they might do...
Send email from the afterlife! Write your e-will at Dead Man's Switch.
Oh boy, a screen saver. Let me whip out my billion dollars in venture capital for that!
is now knitting little sweaters for orphaned puppies.
How does a 7-person democracy cut a pie? Into 4 pieces.
In other words, spying on what you do on the 'net....
A new company starts up called Claritor, who restarts the GAIN network...
503 Sig Unavailable
The Signature could not be accessed. Please try again later or contact the administrator
>> Claria's new business model is 'a new platform designed to >> provide consumers with a personalized Internet experience.'" To create a personalized Internet experience, don't they have to collect more intimate user information?
So what's the going rate for buying a product line and promising not to use it?
Pond scum by any other name is still pond scum. And no matter how they change their product line-up, pond scum is still pond scum.
I want a new quote. One that won't spill. One that don't cost too much. Or come in a pill.
The real question is: can I pay with American Express or will they only take visa and mastercard. Don't take my GATOR away!!!
Claria's new business model is 'a new platform designed to provide consumers with a personalized Internet experience.'
Sounds like a recipe for failure to me. I doubt the value that they add is going to be enough to make people want to pay for their software. I doubt that very much.
Why would anybody pay for software to pre-populate fields w/ credit cards, addresses, etc. when Internet Explorer and Firefox can already do that for free? (If you're into that sort of thing.)
Hello toilet, goodbye Claria.
...
Claria's new business model is 'a new platform designed to provide consumers with a personalized Internet experience.'
Yeah, they *would* know what a personalized experience is.
"Claria's new business model is 'a new platform designed to provide consumers with a personalized Internet experience.'"
No doubt by spying on you, showing you ads, AND making you pay for the software that does it.
Thanks, but no thanks.
====
Crudely Drawn Games
So, some other company is going to continue business as usual? I don't care what sort of agreement the new owners have to abide by, there's always a way around such things. For all we know, the new purchaser could be just another entity that's owned by Claria via several layers of legal entities.
Saturday is April 1. Slashdot will be shut down. Sorry for the inconvenience.
a new platform designed to provide consumers with a personalized Internet experience
So they'll be releasing a tool bar, which will do all of this again and claim other wise?
I like muppets.
So, they are going forward to start a legitimate business based on the profits and contacts they've made in the ad-ware (some may say spy-ware) business? If they really wanted to turn over a new leaf, they'd dissolve the corporation and return all the money to the shareholders.
Oceania has always been at war with Eastasia.
"Claria says they are unwilling to sell the software for the GAIN ad network, or the data they have collected from their users."
Uh, why? Did they wake up some morning and magically get some ethics? Or are they afraid of what people will discover?
They should get (another) name change at the same time. Most people know the relationship Claria == Gator == spyware/adware == scum.
Ooh, like the personalized internet assistant, Bonzi Buddy? Or maybe it will be as widely loved as Clippy.
Start a happiness pandemic
I have always had trouble understanding how spyware can be legal anyway...
I mean basically the company is spying on you, its similar to if Walmart hired someone to constantly stalk you and take notes on what kind of shampoo you buy...it just does not seem logical.
But then who said laws have to be logical, I mean the RIAA/MPAA DMCA CRAP states that for each movie/song one downloads the loss to the companies is the hundreds of thousands of dollars, doesnt really make sense does it...
Post apocalyptic gaming goodness
It's a trick, get an axe.
swanker than you
To create a personalized Internet experience, don't they have to collect more intimate user information?
And the brilliant part of it is that the users will now pay for the privilege.I'm still trying to figure out what people mean by 'social skills' here.
If I were Deutsche Bank, I'd run from these guys like hell.
17779 eligible voters in a district, 17779 'vote' as one. This is Russia.
'a new platform designed to provide consumers with a personalized Internet experience.' Sounds like they're going to release a browser with inbuilt spyware, like some preconfigured Firefox or something...
It's a trick. Get an axe.
I guess this means they won't be liable for any legal actions. I'd like to see a sopena of their records so we can see whom they sold their illegally gotten data. I wonder how many reputable businesses use this kind of info. They have the tools and infrastructure to start another venture on the lawless wild wild web, so we can expect to see them again when the heat is off, if this is more than postering.
"Never say Never."
comercials by claria suck. Good riddance!
I guess they've got enough info to make enough of us uncomfortable.
___ Shout Central - Crushes your nuts!
Sorry, but businesses don't get out of a market to "clean up their name". Something financial was driving this, though I don't know what. Are they scared of litigation, or did their revenue from ads drop? Was google stealing their market?
George W Bush lied about WMD during his first term in office, but people forgot/forgave him and voted him in for a second term.
A lot of people hated the Vietnam war and the soldiers who fought there, but now most have come to terms that the soldiers did what the country asked them to do, and had to go through hell and back.
George S Patton was sometimes a really mean guy, but most people remember him as an excellent general.
Microsoft has a terrible track record when it comes to security, but people still install their software.
Union Carbide was responsible for 15,000 people's deaths in India, but the company is still alive and well.
History tends to be nice to folks/corporations.
SUck it, suck it, suck it. Ownage. I will kick you in the groin if I ever see you, so that you may live a shameful existance or no existence at all. SUCK-IT.
SUCK IT. And good riddence
At first glance, this move on Claria's part seems nonsensical. They are gutting their business model and walking away from a very lucrative source of revenue, all in the name of (more or less) doing the right thing.
Well, here's the rub.
Vista is coming in 2007. Vista is going to have antispyware built directly into the operating system. By 2009, when XP is going to be a minority OS as people's crummy hardware dies (helped along by spyware infestations), there isn't going to be a market for Claria's BS.
They quite simply have no other choice but to cash out what they can and change their profit model. (Of course, this is assuming that the anti-spyware elements of Vista will work at all... but like it or not, MS *does* have a lot of very bright people, and preventing modifications to critical system files *should* be a bit of a no brainer.)
Here's hoping that the party is over.
It's not in their press release, but really their CEO is just afraid he's going to have to box with that crazy Russian guy. ;)
Guess just showing ads in a program doesn't work anymore. /me looks at the top right corner of his opera browser.
MMO Quests are like orgasms:
You may solo them, I prefer them in a group.
Vista is coming in 2007. Vista is going to have antispyware built directly into the operating system. By 2009, when XP is going to be a minority OS as people's crummy hardware dies
Your comment seems highly specualtive. Vista hasn't even been released yet. We have no idea whether the antispyware components built into the OS will actually work in real world usage. Plus, 2009 is three years down the road. Even if Vista was a spyware killer, that gives Claria at least three years to make money with their current business model.
Read the EFF's Fair Use FAQ
"The new system will serve up personalized content and advertising to opt-in users."
...which is always (claimed to be) opt-in? Usually in a confusing, most people would feel deceptive way, but at some point in the process you have clicked "yes" on a button, with or without having paid any attention to a complicated notice in obfuscated legalese...
In other words, adware...
"How to Do Nothing," kids activities, back in print!
How about putting a "may not be safe for work" warning on that link? It's borderline, but I'm at work and I don't need the boss seeing me looking at a bunch of busty women, even if they are technically clothed.
"I swear, I was reading the article!"
Alex Stern writes "In an attempt to clean up it's tarnished name, Claria has hired Deutsche
s/it's/its
They said they would like to order one million space heaters. Or one million Intel PCs, whichever is cheaper.
and claria aka gator can just freakin' die.
if this is supposed to be a new economy, how come they still want my old fashioned money?
Did anyone else read the summary as this...?
Claria has hired Douche Bag to help them sell off the software tools that were previously supported by their adware.
What he can't kill, he has sex on. Trent.
I think this is the 3rd of 4th time I'll have said it, and still no law suit:
Claria is spyware!
-bZj
.sig
We didn't fall for the bullshit namechange (that's right, you cocks, we still remember you as "Gator"), what makes them think anyone's going to buy this?
Don't use your real name..period. How much longer before single fathers have their supermarket data brought into court by upset mothers seeking retribution. "Obviously your honor he is a bad parent. Look at all the junk food he buys the kids".
I just signed up for a loyalty card this morning under the name Bucky Fuller. Other cards have names like Igor Stravinsky, Carl Yastremsky and of course John Cocktosen.
By the way should your cable company or other non-governmental entity need a SSN, use this.
078-05-1120
It's a specimen number from the Eisenhower era and works 99% of the time.
Your inbox is awash in spam, your boss is chuckling over your credit report, and you've got a sneaking suspicion that Uncle Sam counts how many Löwenbräu you chug. Yes, your privacy's shot to hell, and you're tempted to shrug and settle for an open source life. But privacy isn't like virginity, forever lost after the first trespass. With some work, "reprivatization" is possible. Use this three-tiered guide to pick a level of solitude. But be warned: Going all the way off the grid is more Ted Kaczynski than Howard Hughes.
Going
Diss credit: Want to be hard to find? Start by dashing off stern opt-out letters to the big database companies and credit bureaus - Experian, Acxiom, Equifax. These folks may make a mint peddling personal info, but they can be cajoled into stopping. First, though, they'll make you jump through hoops - like filling out a 1040-sized form or idling in toll-free hell. Junkbusters (www.junkbusters.com) has a good list of opt-out addresses.
Anonymize: Ditch your ISP and sign up with a service that lets you surf by proxy, keeping your IP address concealed. Send email via an anonymous remailer like Mixmaster, a digital middleman that scrambles timestamps and message sizes. And if you're going to be advocating the violent overthrow of the government or bragging about your cool new bong, make sure your remailer routes messages through multiple machines.
Grok the fine print: Boring as it sounds, read the privacy statements that clutter your mailbox around tax time and sever ties with companies that admit, "Our privacy policy may change over time" - industry lingo for "We reserve the right to screw you."
Going Further
Ditch the digits:Want to drop out?Start by rustling up a new Social Security number.
The Social Security Administration doesn't accept paranoia as a criterion for granting a new card, but it recognizes cultural objections and religious pleas. One stratagem: Contend that your credit has been irrevocably damaged by a number-related snafu, or that you live in fear of a stalker who knows your digits. Once you switch your SSN, never use it. Instead, dole out 078-05-1120, an Eisenhower-era card that works 99 percent of the time.
Call cell-free: Use the humble pay phone. Mobile phones are being outfitted with global positioning satellite chips to comply with an FCC mandate. By 2006, all wireless networks must feature 911-friendly tracking technology. Marketers are cooking up ways to capitalize, like zapping burger coupons to your Nokia as you stroll by a fast-food joint.
Pay full price: You may relish saving 10 percent on Prell, but deep-six your buyers' club cards. Supermarkets and pharmacies haven't yet perfected the art of data mining, but it won't be long. "If you're having a child custody fight, they could subpoena your frequent-shopper cards and say, 'Look, he's buying too many potato chips, he's hurting the kids,'" says Robert Gellman, a Washington-based privacy consultant.
Gone
Move: Want to go completely off the grid? Start by moving - address changes bedevil databasers. But don't buy a home. All those loan apps will blow your cover. Residential hotels smell like cheap cigars and urine, but at least you can register under a pseudonym. Give a fake address: 3500 S. Wacker, Chicago, IL, 60616 - the front door for Comiskey Park.
Toss your cards:Pay cash for everything, and don't plan on a life of luxury. Any (legal) cash transaction more than $10,000 triggers government reporting regulations, which means you can forget about that Cadillac Escalade you've had your eye on. Settle for the subway or bus, using coins rather than prepaid fare cards, which keep a record of trips.
Go incognito: Facial-recognition gear will soon be ubiquitous in public spaces. To fool the systems, invest in a pair of bulky aviator sunglasses and a hat. If you fear being tailed, alter your gait every time you hit the street - a pigeon-toed shuffle one day, a bowlegged amble the next. There are also Central American plastic surgery mills, beloved of drug lords, that can alter the loops and whorls on your fingertips. It'll set you back 10 Gs, but then, Costa Rican doctors have been known to accept gold Rolexes in lieu of cash.
Claria will have nothing to sell when it comes out.
I wonder how long it will take for Vista to be adopted by the majority of the Windows-using population. According to this article, as of last year at this time, only 40% of corporate users were using Windows XP. It could be several years before Vista reaches the point where even half of the Windows market. According to this graph, about 15% of Windows users still aren't on XP. Of course, the data could be skewed. Still, it makes me think that spyware will be with at least some Windows users (perhaps the least technically-savvy, and therefore least equipped to deal with spyware) for a long time to come.
Read the EFF's Fair Use FAQ
*Claria's new business model is 'a new platform designed to provide consumers with a personalized Internet experience.'*
Just like a virus Claria's evil will simply mutate into a more, well, virulent and invasive strain which will require new remedies to eradicate. Yay for malware!
My sig is too lon
March 27, 2006, GAIN becomes self aware......
Don't take life so seriously. No one makes it out alive.
I find that Firefox and my own set of bookmarks provides exactly that!
You must think in Russian.
They will charge you for it this time! Some people might be fooled into trusting them because they are asking for even more.
Friends don't help friends install M$ junk.
You obviously didn't introduce enough spelling mistakes, or you failed to include enough spin in the submission.
(from the article:)
Up for sale are the software tools whose free download was supported by the GAIN ad network
Claria will not be selling the technology or engine that drives the GAIN system, nor the user data affiliated with the GAIN product. The company will also hold onto its digital wallet product, Gator eWallet.
In April, Claria will unveil major partnerships around this new technology and launch the beta version of PersonalWeb, the first consumer application using this platform.
The new system will serve up personalized content and advertising to opt-in users. Claria plans on building up its PersonalWeb user base from scratch, and will not be using data from its GAIN system for the new platform.
I don't see how this exactly is "leaving the adware business" rather than trying to raise some cash by selling off their crappiest current pieces of software that were formerly merely channels for their adware, and then focusing on a new channel for advertising that looks to be built around their eWallet.
That they're not re-using the GAIN data seems odd, so I wager that there's something left unsaid there.
Returned Peace Corps IT Volunteer
"PLEASE tell me you folks can KILL THAT DAMNED LITTLE COMPUTER MONKEY!"I'm just waiting for someone to pull an Elvis and bring one in with bullet holes where he had to kill the monkey.
You think that a spyware bunch would try to make their "little helper" at least a LITTLE less irritating than a five year old on a sugar high.
ACs don't waste your time replying, your posts are never seen by me.
They're packaging themselves for sale to Microsoft as a missing piece of Windows Live, minus the malware ... and if they have any executives that have a clue about shipping quality software on time, that might interest MS too.
I can just imagine the options menu. Personalization options Check all that apply: Porn:[ ] Penis Pills:[ ] 419 scams:[ ] Free trip to my homestate:[ ] Ink Refills:[ ] Fake Dating service: [ ] [X]Yes, please dont not share my information with your unrelated affiliate programs.
The problem whith this name (from their point of view) is not the adware, but the fact that they have been sued for changing other peoples' ads on web pages in favor of their own. They are still going to serve ads, but from a fresh (not so aggresive) approach..
[new age music, pastel colors, amorphous shapes]
[voice over]
"Strong medicine for stuffy nose, carpal tunnel and chronic depression."
[music]
"Ask you doctor about eClaria-- "
[assorted disclaimers]
[fade]
The retailers don't need to follow customers around to see what food, books, electronic gear, etc., they buy; they just offer a discount for "joining". Not much different from some of the come-ons that convince naive users to install spyware, actually.
They want to provide users with a "personalized" (as in targetted ads) web experience. They've gone through this song and dance before -- changed their name to try to escape their past and claim they've turned over a new leaf. "Wolf Wolf!"
"eClaria" sounds like something one would catch off a toilet seat or by eating tainted egg rolls.
"I got a bad case of eClaria so missed work and ruined a pair of underwear."