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Thread ID: 59618	2005-07-07 15:47:00	MS Anti-Spyware Downgrades Claria Ad-Ware to "Ignore"	vinref (6194)	PC World Chat

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
370367	2005-07-07 15:47:00	MS, which is in negotiations to buy Claria, has downgraded its Anti-Spyware default recommended action for Claria products from "Quarantine" to "Ignore". Claria is the maker of ad-ware such as Gator, Dashbar, PrecisionTime and Weatherscope, that Windows users know and love so much. The article is here (www.eweek.com).	vinref (6194)
370368	2005-07-07 15:57:00	That's truuuly scary. Quis custodiet custodies? (Who guards the guards?)	Laura (43)
370369	2005-07-07 19:09:00	That's truuuly scary. Quis custodiet custodies? (Who guards the guards?) I hope you get some sleep soon Laura.Or are you on night shift?	Cicero (40)
370370	2005-07-07 21:32:00	Personally I think its a good idea to stick to a 3rd-party vendor for the likes, or to use it in conjunction with Anti-Spyware. Microsoft appear to be showing they have an agenda of their own, and do not have the best at-heart for their consumers if they're truely letting this through.	Chilling_Silence (9)
370371	2005-07-07 22:21:00	I have already un-installed M$ Anti-Spyware after a previous action with HotBar, this action with "Gator" confirms it further.	KiwiTT_NZ (233)
370372	2005-07-07 22:36:00	Personally I think its a good idea to stick to a 3rd-party vendor for the likes, or to use it in conjunction with Anti-Spyware.Claria and Hotbar have been lobbying (aka sueing) the other third-party antispyware and antivirus producers. McAfee has earlier changed their criteria and no longer flags Claria's GAIN as a malicious threat - reference (www.claria.com). You wonder how long it will be before the rest of the companies also change their criteria for Claria (and Hot Bar) and whatever other existing malware that decides to go for respectibility. Claria is also now a member Online Privacy Alliance, quote: "Claria is also a member of the Online Privacy Alliance (OPA), a group of leading online and offline companies that value privacy and that are involved in the development of privacy-related standards. We are very pleased to have Claria as a new member of the Online Privacy Alliance," said Christine Varney, OPA legal advisor and partner at Hogan & Hartson in Washington, DC. "Their adherence with the Online Privacy Alliance principles shows their commitment to respecting the privacy of consumers, and we look forward to working with them in the future on new Privacy Alliance initiatives such as those involving behavioral marketing." - reference (www.claria.com) It seems that Claria is cleaning up its act and getting involved with respected companies, and because its software requires user intervention to install (you have to click OK to install) and is easy to remove, it is no longer deemed malicious. Seems like a good marketing campaign to gain respectibility before Microsoft buys it. From Microsofts Privacy Overview (www.microsoft.com) : As ubiquitous computing becomes more prevalent, so too does the amount of information and data people transmit. Microsoft believes that its customers have the right to control their personal information, have the right to be left alone, and have the right to a trusted experience in which they can rely on Microsoft technologies, services, and solutions. I find their Trustworthy Computing ( www.microsoft.com) mission statements a little more insincere now: Trustworthy Computing is a long-term, collaborative effort to provide more secure, private, and reliable computing experiences for everyone. This is a core company tenet at Microsoft and guides virtually everything we do. Trustworthy Computing is built on four pillars: Security, Privacy, and Reliability in our software, services, and products; and integrity in our Business Practices. If Claria's GAIN product and Hot Bar have genuinely cleaned up their act, then good on them. But it does concern me how Microsoft are buying these products with such track records and programs that serve an obvious agenda - tracking you. What direction is Microsoft heading and how will they be using these programs is the big question? Be interesting to see how it does eventuate.	Jen (38)
370373	2005-07-08 00:07:00	Claria and Hotbar have been lobbying (aka sueing) the other third-party antispyware and antivirus producers. Just as well theres still stuff like Hijackthis	pctek (84)
370374	2005-07-08 05:23:00	I agree... Will these become an integrated component of Longhorn perhaps?	Chilling_Silence (9)
370375	2005-07-08 06:17:00	Excuse my ignorance in these matters, but how does one go about getting Gator etc? Is it bundled with things like KaZaa? Are users given a full end-user-license type "agreement" that they click to accept? Are there any exploits that mimic Gator etc and take control of Windows? It seems to me that if you condition people with these things and present them with 10 pages of fine print gobbledegook, it would be easy enough for an imposter to do the same.	vinref (6194)
370376	2005-07-08 06:35:00	Excuse my ignorance in these matters, but how does one go about getting Gator etc? Is it bundled with things like KaZaa? Are users given a full end-user-license type "agreement" that they click to accept? Are there any exploits that mimic Gator etc and take control of Windows? It seems to me that if you condition people with these things and present them with 10 pages of fine print gobbledegook, it would be easy enough for an imposter to do the same. It's usually bundled with "free" programs. Companies pay advertising companies to show ads, who in turn pay companies like gator and hotbar to show ads, who pay developers to include Gator and Hotbar. Suddenly those "free" smileys aren't so free anymore. And yes, the user does allow this, because the EULAs are increasingly lengthy and waffle on about nothing, then say after 10 pages that it'll install spyware as well. Too bad noone reads all that...	Edward (31)
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