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Claria Says to Uninstall its Adware

By Nate Mook, BetaNews

June 24, 2006, 4:12 PM

Adware company Claria this week took the unusual step of telling users to uninstall its software, following through on a promise to exit the adware business in order to focus on personalized search. Claria says it will stop sending pop-up ads to users' computers on July 1.

"Our software will continue to collect data about your web usage from your computer for research and other purposes as described in our Privacy Statement until September 30, 2006, unless you uninstall the software before this date," the company said in a statement on its Web site. "It is recommended that you uninstall all of GAIN Supported Software presently on your computer."

Claria is best known for its Gator application, later renamed to GAIN, which tracks where individuals surf on the Web and pushes related advertisements to their screens. The company became the scourge of privacy advocates who claimed Claria was pulling in hundreds of millions of dollars thanks to spyware.

The company has been working to change its image since last year, when it first made public plans to shift to a more legit revenue model. Claria's technology even apparently interested Microsoft, who reportedly was in negotiations to acquire the company.

Claria intends to focus its resources on PersonalWeb, a new Web portal that is personalized for each user. The company has raised around $40 million for the venture.

Currently in beta, the site requires a small download that analyzes a user's surfing habits and then places suggested content on the portal without setup from the user. In an addition to suggested content, PersonalWeb also provides links to a customers web e-mail accounts and RSS integration.

Additionally, Claria has plans to resell the technology behind PersonalWeb to third parties to create branded versions of the portal, which can be customized to include the third party's content by default. The company signed an agreement with Yahoo! Japan in April to provide custom homepages for the service's users.

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By joeshmoe7

posted Jun 26, 2006 - 11:11 AM

another hellspawned-slimebucket-gang wanting to masquerade as a legitmate business. Seems to be all the rage these days.

Score: 0

By Banquo

posted Jun 25, 2006 - 7:40 PM

Claria: I'm sorry I robbed your apartment and beat up your sister, I promise I've reformed. Can we be friends now?

Score: 0

By spongy-poo

edited Jun 26, 2006 - 1:41 PM

Well, if Microsoft buys you and kills you, then okay.

Score: 0

By Noremacam

posted Jun 25, 2006 - 5:17 PM

Don't do it! It's a trick!

Score: 0

By spongy-poo

posted Jun 25, 2006 - 3:40 PM

Hmmmm...I gotta believe that if you were stupid enough to install it, they might have to uninstall it for you.

Score: 0

By Hall9000

edited Jun 26, 2006 - 5:02 AM

Some time ago, not only was I a regular reader of Shortnews.com I also even posted some of my own comments until Gator came into the picture and would install itself without my permission. After having had to clean my drive a few times I simply unregistered from that website. As for "stupid", I'll be polite and let that one go without comment.

Score: 0

By spongy-poo

posted Jun 26, 2006 - 1:37 PM

LOL! Yeah, okay.

Score: 0

By Mark Gillespie

edited Jun 26, 2006 - 7:00 AM

Sure it did it without permission. Did you read the full licence agreement that came with the freeware screensaver (or whatever) you installed? Somewhere it would have stated that you agreed to installing Gator.

Score: 0

By Tony Dodd

posted Jun 26, 2006 - 9:16 PM

Yep I remember reading that agreement...all 900 pages of it ;-)

Score: 0

By Mark Gillespie

posted Jun 25, 2006 - 9:57 AM

No longer are we spying on users, and selling details of their surfing habbits, we are now a legit company. You can trust us...

Fools..

Score: 0

By Silentmaster101

posted Jun 26, 2006 - 8:10 AM

oh they never said that, just that they wont provide pop-ups anymore.;-)

Score: 0

By rdefalco

posted Jun 25, 2006 - 5:49 AM

It's always about spying... this time they'll spy to store informations to build "your" personal portal...

As stated on their site:
Claria, the maker of PersonalWeb, has years of experience understanding consumer online preferences and behavior

Really, sadly, true.

Score: 0

By bolmedias

posted Jun 25, 2006 - 5:09 AM

YAY! Goodbye GAIN! Go, go, Claria! YAY!

Score: 0

By kbsoftware

posted Jun 24, 2006 - 11:22 PM

With everything that Claria has done, the damage it has done I will never want anything to do with them. No matter what they say or claim I will always see this company (whatever name they may use in the future) as cancer to the internet and computers.

Score: 0

By eclipsingdivinity

edited Jun 24, 2006 - 10:59 PM

Go Claria! GO GO Go Claria!

You go girl!

I especially love viewing the demo with that chick with a lisp. It makes the experience that much more enjoyable.

Score: 0

By BIL

posted Jun 24, 2006 - 7:44 PM

I agree that Claria should be responsible for the removal of all traces of their spyware. I hope that MS Defender, Spybot and all the others will now add Claria removal tools to their software updates.

Score: 0

By Hall9000

edited Jun 24, 2006 - 4:34 PM

If I was to clearly state my opinion of Gator and what even name it goes by now I would be banned from the entire web. That's how much I hate them. I can understand that some cookies can be extremely useful, take my login for example. But when a company, any company decides to literally spy on me, well that does it. When they say the following; "It is recommended that you uninstall all of GAIN Supported Software presently on your computer." they are putting on US the burden of doing what THEY should be doing. They should be stopping any use of any kind of spyware. I have a limited amount of computerese so to speak, and I do have problems understanding a lot of techy talk about computers. Imagine how lost people that barely know how to do a proper shutdown feel or even know how to get rid of the crap placed often times without their own knowledge.

By law, I can sue someone that unlawfully placed spying equipment in my home. Maybe it's time the same laws applied to bums like Gator when it comes to computers.

Score: 0

By Silentmaster101

posted Jun 26, 2006 - 8:19 AM

its not unlawful if you inadvertantly agreed to it. spyware doesnt just install itself you know, comes with the sites you visit and programs you install, so thats how they get around the law, it is taken as agreement when you decide to visit the site or install the software that you are getting whatever comes with it.

Score: 0

By digitalking

edited Jun 27, 2006 - 8:11 AM

So if I go to an auto repair shop, they can install whatever they want on my vehicle, because I agreed to come into their shop? If I go to a website, they can install whatever they want on my PC(tracking cookie), because I go to their website? People are brainwashed into thinking they have no rights anymore, and large companies can do whatever they want to their PC. My other issue is why so many apps try to connect to their companies servers, even when you have automatic updates disabled.

Score: 0

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