Microsoft is in talks to buy controversial adware maker Claria for $500 million, according to a report in today's New York Times. The report said that Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer had given the go-ahead for the negotiations, which began two weeks ago, but that there has been opposition within Microsoft to the acquisition.
 
Claria, based in Redwood City, California, was previously known as Gator, but changed its name because of the controversial ad-delivering practices associated with Gator. Claria has been criticized by privacy groups because of the way its software tracks user habits and delivers pop-up ads. It has been sued by a number of companies for the practices, including the New York Times.

The report said that Microsoft is pursuing Claria as a way to catch up with the advertising prowess of Google. It also said that a group of people within Microsoft opposed the deal, worrying that "the move could bring an outcry as critics portray Microsoft as Big Brother, trying to track every mouse click on the Web and profit from it."

According to the Times, Claria initially approached Microsoft earlier this year to see if Microsoft was interested in Claria's BehaviorLink service, which would track the Web use habits of 40 million users with Claria software on their systems. That information would be used to sell ads to publishers, but the ads would be traditional ones, rather than pop-ups. The acquisition talks began as an outgrowth of that meeting.

The report noted that the negotiations may be at a point where they will break off as early as today, killing any potential deal.


Source : CRN

Horrifying prospect - Microsoft should be hunting down this crap in their antispyware, not chatting with these VERMIN.

(in reply to T3TRISizer)

Strange, strange indeed....

Well...maybe MS wants to buy it, so that it would know in advance exactly which adware will be released....and thus...to prepare their anti-adware solution (up-to-second solution )....hahahahaha....

Here is how communication between Billy the kid and new Claria CEO(on MS paylist offcourse) will look like....

Bill : "Hi...what do we have for today?"
Claria CEO : "Well...we will release 5 adwares....netting us $20Million...I will attach their codes, so Your programmers could easily integrate them to Your Anti-Spyware software..."
Bill : " GREAT! So $20M-$100(to pay 1 programmer for 1 hour of work)=$19.999.900 + many many more $$$ in subscribtions collected from happy Anti-Spyware users...YEAH! We will prepare press release for those 5 newly discovered adwares in our Anti-Spyware right away! Very nice job! Take a rest...Hawaai are Yours for 14 days...everything has been paid...so enjoy!"
Claria CEO : "Thanks! Talk to You tommorow...there is even bigger package comming out..."
Bill : "WOWWW! Cant wait - because we need to get some money in fast, cause IBM surely tricked us for those $775 Million...and the judge who is ex-friend of a ex-friend also rulled against us...damn...just cant trust noone nowadays  ...enjoy! Bye..."
Claria CEO : "Bye Billy...take some nap...and dont worry...we will prevail."


That it folks...lets hope for the best...but its really strange...I mean...why would such software giant be interested in buying some "half-legal" adware company!? They could easily do whats been described as conversation above...Claria to work on Adware...and Microsoft "fighting" it...tricking all people...that sux...bad move Microft...unless they serve us some nice story with detailed explainations about all this...

Good luck people...

(in reply to Matthew)