Claria Leaves Adware Business 149
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.'"
MS antispyware (Score:1, Insightful)
Re:MS antispyware (Score:2)
Tarnished name. (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Tarnished name. (Score:4, Funny)
Glasses (Score:1)
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.
Re:Tarnished name. (Score:2)
--
Cheers, Gene
Re:Tarnished name. (Score:2)
still remains: would you trust them?
Personally, the answer for me is No.
Trust has to be earned.... unfortunately, once someone's trust has been breached, they're unlikely to give the trespasser a second chance.
I for one hope the new Claria all the best in their new venture, but I for one, will not be one of their customers.
Re:Tarnished name. (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Tarnished name. (Score:2)
What I'd like to see out of Claria is a published list of the authors of the software and most especially of their manager, to use as an employment blacklist for more ethical companies.
People forgive/forget (Score:1, Insightful)
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 ins
Re:People forgive/forget (Score:3, Insightful)
That was less about forgiving him and more about people being terrified of terrorists and/or gay marriage.
"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."
It only took 10-15 years.
"Microsoft has a terrible track record when it comes
Re: (Score:2)
Re:Tarnished name. (Score:2)
Some assets! (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Some assets! (Score:2)
Re:Some assets! (Score:2)
Question: What do you call an electronic copy of an elongated pastry filled with custard and iced with chocolate?
Sounds like.... (Score:2)
"I got a bad case of eClaria so missed work and ruined a pair of underwear."
and Charles Manson... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:and Charles Manson... (Score:4, Funny)
Personalized Internet experience? (Score:5, Interesting)
Next story... (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Next story... (Score:5, Interesting)
On July 1, Claria will shutdown the GAIN network and inform their users they can either uninstall their software or pay for it.
So, does that mean that if you installed ad-supported freeware that uses Claria's spyware to help pay for it, that that's what they're talking about when the say "pay off or shut off?" Does that mean that they're going to trip off whatever mechanism prevents you from using such software after Claria's uninstalled without uninstalling the client software? What about software that uses multiple spyware vendors?
Okay, well honestly, I don't really care that much about people careless enough to use programs that install spyware, but it does beg an interesting question of liability if they attempt to technologically enforce their suggestion that one should either pay or uninstall.
Re:Next story... (Score:2)
Re:Next story... (Score:2)
I'm waiting for the date just so we can see how many infected machines break down once the network becomes unavailable. I hope a reporter is on this angle, because I don't think it's beyond the pale that poorly-written spyware has well-written error handling, especially for core functionality.
Re:Next story... (Score:2)
Re:Next story... (Score:2)
What they will actually say to existing users is "pay up or we'll erase your hard drive."
What really happens next... (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Next story... (Score:2)
rj
Personalized Internet experience? (Score:4, Insightful)
That is the brilliant part of it (Score:2)
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.Re:Personalized Internet experience? (Score:2)
Conditions of the sale crack me up (Score:5, Funny)
So what's the going rate for buying a product line and promising not to use it?
Re:Conditions of the sale crack me up (Score:3, Informative)
I'm guessing the VCs realized the IPO would be as popular as shares in Mengele Health Farms, and told manglement to find something else so they coul
Re:Conditions of the sale crack me up (Score:2)
I wouldn't do that before reading the actual sale contract. If there's a clause about "adoping all assets, liabilities, etc." you could be adoping a bucket of debt for your penny. It wouldn't be the first time a scummy company tried to offload it's financial liabilities onto someone else.
So what (Score:3, Funny)
Re:So what (Score:5, Funny)
AmEx? (Score:5, Funny)
Yeah. Right. Good luck. (Score:2, Insightful)
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
Re:Yeah. Right. Good luck. (Score:2)
Ooh, like the personalized internet assistant, Bonzi Buddy [pchell.com]? Or maybe it will be as widely loved as Clippy [theserverside.net].
Re: (Score:2)
Yeah, uh huh. (Score:3, Insightful)
No doubt by spying on you, showing you ads, AND making you pay for the software that does it.
Thanks, but no thanks.
Translation... (Score:4, Interesting)
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.
So.. (Score:4, Interesting)
So they'll be releasing a tool bar, which will do all of this again and claim other wise?
The pinstripes make them look reputable like. (Score:2)
They will charge you for it this time! Some people might be fooled into trusting them because they are asking for even more.
Heh (Score:3, Interesting)
Why... (Score:3, Insightful)
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.
How is Spyware Legal? (Score:4, Insightful)
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...
Re:How is Spyware Legal? (Score:2)
Re:How is Spyware Legal? (Score:2)
Re:How is Spyware Legal? (Score:2)
Spyware may be illegal there, but they're doing even less about it than the US government.
Re:How is Spyware Legal? (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:How is Spyware Legal? (Score:1)
Re:How is Spyware Legal? (Score:2)
Re:How is Spyware Legal? (Score:2)
Two differences here: first, anybody that doesn't expect them to track what you buy is a fool. With spyware, you won't even know they're tracking you unless you take the time to read the fine print, and most people won't bother. Second, once in a while you're given a special coupon at the checkstand for a future purchase. It's always
Re:How is Spyware Legal? (Score:4, Insightful)
There are three differences here. First, you have to specifically request the card and fill out an application. (Most spyware installs itself without telling you.) Second,you are explicitly agreeing to let the market track your purcheses when you get the card. (Spyware doesn't even ask.) Last, you are paid for that by the discounts you get. (Spyware gives back nothing.)
Re:How is Spyware Legal? (Score:2)
rj
Re:How is Spyware Legal? (Score:2)
Re:How is Spyware Legal? (Score:2)
Barring that, you could always just say you're A. Lincoln from Illinois.
Re:How is Spyware Legal? (Score:2)
Its a classic tragedy of the commons situation. By giving up your privacy you are screwing over the people who don't give up their privacy.
Re:How is Spyware Legal? (Score:2)
Not all, or even most of the markets using the cards are the expensive ones. Even the very inexpensive ones have them. Remember, you don't get a discount on everything, just selected items. If the average prices are high enough, even the discounts don't drop your bill enough to make it worth while to go there. About the only time it really changes shopping ha
Re:How is Spyware Legal? (Score:2)
rj
Re:How is Spyware Legal? (Score:2)
The disclosures for a supermarket card are no less broad or troublesome than spyware. In both cases the product is forced on you, and if you don't agree, the product is further forced on you though annoying popups or cashiers.
Finaly, not all spyware comes with no return. Spyware may come as part of a softwa
Re:How is Spyware Legal? (Score:2)
So do I. The funny thing is, however, that the markets with the best combination of price and quality all have the cards. There are two markets without them that I regulary patronize. One is a specialty shop where I can get good things I can't find elsewhere, the other is an ethnic market that I go to mostly for the ethnic goods that you can't get in a more mainstream location. You
Re:How is Spyware Legal? (Score:2)
Re:How is Spyware Legal? (Score:1, Insightful)
If you have a credit/debit card or a store membership card, they do this too.
Your analogy doesn't really fit.. Spyware is something you generally are tricked into installing, deceived into installing, or it is installed without your permission, period, onto YOUR computer. When you are in someone else's store, you don't get to dictate who can and can't peep
Re:How is Spyware Legal? (Score:1)
Re:How is Spyware Legal? (Score:2)
EDIII (Score:2, Funny)
What a blow to Deutsche Bank (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:What a blow to Deutsche Bank (Score:2)
Re:What a blow to Deutsche Bank (Score:2)
Tricky description... (Score:2, Interesting)
The criminal is in hideout. (Score:3, Insightful)
Got enough info already (Score:1)
I'm not that naive. (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:I'm not that naive. (Score:2)
Chalk one up for Microsoft (Score:5, Interesting)
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.
I'm not so sure (Score:2)
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 cu
Re:I'm not so sure (Score:2)
If Vista's anti-spyware works anywhere near as well as NanoLimp claims, Claria will have nothing to sell when it comes out. Selling now, while their software's still effective is just good business sense. They'll still have the algorithms, and the know-how, so it it turns out to be a false alarm, they can start coding new programs to do the same thing.
Vista adoption rate (Score:2)
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 [arstechnica.com], 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 [pcpitstop.com], about 15% of Windows users still aren't on XP. Of course, the data could be skewed. Still, it makes me think that spyware wi
Re:Vista adoption rate (Score:2)
Corporate users still on 2000 basically fall into three categories. The cheap, the paranoid, and those locked into supporting legacy products.
The cheap are usually small businesses who, like home users, will upgrade when they get new PC's. They're not really m
Re:Vista adoption rate (Score:2)
Those figures actually help Vista more than not.
Your analysis of the three types of business makes sense to me. In the end, it's not a matter of if, but when people will update. They will already miss the holiday buying season this year, so that may slow first year adoption by consumers.
I guess time will tell. I think that if Vista's security features make a noticeable difference, and the new OS is as easier or easier to use than Vista, adoption will be pretty good across the board. If either of those
Re:Vista adoption rate (Score:2)
Remember, Microsoft is a big believer in letting users activate and install stupid things by just clicking on them. It's a big part of their sales demos, so people are likely to continue to click on "c
Re:Chalk one up for Microsoft (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Chalk one up for Microsoft (Score:2)
There are some other tools and approaches Microsoft might find technically useful from Gator, such as the
Fear (Score:2, Funny)
So few here get it (Score:1, Troll)
Guess just showing ads in a program doesn't work anymore. /me looks at the top right corner of his opera browser.
Adware == adware (Score:3, Insightful)
In other words, adware...
Not safe for work? (Score:1)
"I swear, I was reading the article!"
I just got a phone call from Hell... (Score:2, Funny)
weasel companies must die, not change direction (Score:2)
Still sayin' it... (Score:2)
Claria is spyware!
-bZj
Who the hell do they think they're kidding? (Score:2)
Regarding privacy and supermarket cards... (Score:2)
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
How to disappear...the whole story (Score:4, Funny)
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.
Re:How to disappear...the whole story (Score:2)
'Personalised internet experience' (Score:2)
Hold up a second, here... (Score:2)
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 serv
personalized service? (Score:2, Funny)
Re:I submitted this yesterday (Score:2)