NNSquad - Network Neutrality Squad
[ NNSquad ] NebuAd, Claria, and Gator: DPI vs. Spyware
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From: "Richard M. Smith" <rms@bsf-llc.com>
To: <lauren@vortex.com>
Subject: Gator comes back as NebuAd
Date: Sat, 21 Jun 2008 10:32:09 -0400
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http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/06/20/nebuad_claria/
NebuAd looks to 'spyware' firm for recruits
'Typical of the Valley'
By Cade Metz in San Francisco
<http://forms.theregister.co.uk/mail_author/?story_url=/2008/06/20/nebuad_cl
aria/> $B"*(B More by this author
<http://search.theregister.co.uk/?author=Cade%20Metz>
Published Friday 20th June 2008 20:16 GMT
_____
Find <http://ad.doubleclick.net/clk;199609644;13533154;m?http://whitepapers.
theregister.co.uk/paper/view/415?td=toptxt> out how to eradicate 99.7% of
spam
In Silicon Valley, the world's tech capital, the job market is tight, with
sales people and engineers in short supply. So what's an ambitious startup
like NebuAd to do?
One option: Recruit some folk from the nearby ad outfit that's fallen on
hard times. After all, NebuAd's in the ad business too. Much like Phorm
<http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/02/29/phorm_roundup/> , it uses deep
packet inspection to track
<http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/04/10/american_isps_embrace_behavioral_ad
_targeting/> the behavior of net surfers from inside third-party ISPs.
According to public profiles posted to the social networking sites LinkedIn
and LinkSV, NebuAd shares at least five high-ranking employees with Gator
Corporation, the company that famously changed its name to Claria in October
2003 in an apparent attempt to shake-off its reputation as a spyware
distributor.
These employees are: Scott Tavenner, Vice President of Business Development;
Chuck Gilbert, Senior Product Manager; Mike Miller, Vice President of Ad
Sales; Amy Auranicky, Director of Advertising Sales; and Jeanne Houwelingis,
Vice President of Advertising Services.
Like Claria, NebuAd is based in Redwood City, California, and the company
registered its domain in June 2006, just as Claria was leaving
<http://www.techweb.com/wire/security/183701933> the adware business.
But NebuAd says that any ties to Claria are tenuous. "NebuAd and Claria are
separate companies with different investors and management and have never
been associated with each other," reads a statement from NebuAd.
"NebuAd was founded in 2006 by noted experts in the anti-virus, cyber
security, and online marketing and analytics industry with a fundamental
understanding and focus on consumer privacy and protection. NebuAd$B!G(Bs
co-founders come from E.piphany, Juniper Networks, McAfee, Scopus, and
Symantec. Some former Claria employees work at NebuAd, but this is typical
in the Valley."
Gator re-made
In 1998, Gator introduced an eponymous desktop software package that tracks
the behavior of web surfers as a means of targeting display ads, and it was
often bundled with free downloads such as the P2P-sharing app Kazaa. When
the company renamed itself, it also renamed its software: Gator became Gain.
Multiple anti-spyware tools identify and remove Gator/GAIN. Symantec, for
instance, advocates
<http://www.symantec.com/security_response/writeup.jsp?docid=2003-080410-333
8-99&tabid=3> removal. But Gator Corp./Claria Corp. had always maintained
it does not distribute spyware. In 2003, it sued PC Pitstop for libel went
the desktop health software maker used the spyware tag to describe Gator.
NebuAd has tested its more sophisticated behavioral ad service on several
<http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/05/15/charter_and_nebuad/> American
ISPs, including Charter, WOW!, Knology, and Embarq. When Charter announced
<http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/05/15/charter_and_nebuad/> its
partnership with the company, two US Congressmen fired a letter <http://www.
theregister.co.uk/2008/05/16/congress_questions_nebuad/> at the ISP, asking
that test be put on hold.
"We respectfully request that you do not move forward on Charter
Communications' proposed venture with NebuAd until we have an opportunity to
discuss with you issues raised by this proposed venture," wrote Ed Markey,
chairman of the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet,
and Joe Barton, ranking member of the House Committee on Energy and
Commerce.
Generally, ISP subscribers can opt-out of NebuAd's service. But Markey and
Barton argue that unless the service is opt-in only, it may violate US law.
(r)
4 <http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/06/20/nebuad_claria/comments/>
comments posted - Post
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<p =
class=3DMsoNormal>http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/06/20/nebuad_claria/<=
o:p></o:p></p>
<h2>NebuAd looks to 'spyware' firm for recruits<o:p></o:p></h2>
<h3>'Typical of the Valley'<o:p></o:p></h3>
<p class=3DMsoNormal>By <a
href=3D"http://forms.theregister.co.uk/mail_author/?story_url=3D/2008/06/=
20/nebuad_claria/"
title=3D"Send email to the author">Cade Metz in San Francisco</a> <span
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt'>=1B$B"*=1B(B <a
href=3D"http://search.theregister.co.uk/?author=3DCade%20Metz";
title=3D"More stories from this site by Cade Metz">More by this =
author</a></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><span style=3D'font-size:10.0pt'>Published Friday =
20th June
2008 20:16 GMT</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<div class=3DMsoNormal align=3Dcenter style=3D'text-align:center'>
<hr size=3D2 width=3D"100%" align=3Dcenter>
</div>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><a
href=3D"http://ad.doubleclick.net/clk;199609644;13533154;m?http://whitepa=
pers.theregister.co.uk/paper/view/415?td=3Dtoptxt">Find
out how to eradicate 99.7% of spam</a> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p>In Silicon Valley, the world's tech capital, the job market is tight, =
with
sales people and engineers in short supply. So what's an ambitious =
startup like
NebuAd to do?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p>One option: Recruit some folk from the nearby ad outfit that's fallen =
on
hard times. After all, NebuAd's in the ad business too. Much like <a
href=3D"http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/02/29/phorm_roundup/";>Phorm</a>=
, it
uses deep packet inspection to <a
href=3D"http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/04/10/american_isps_embrace_beh=
avioral_ad_targeting/">track
the behavior</a> of net surfers from inside third-party =
ISPs.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p>According to public profiles posted to the social networking sites =
LinkedIn
and LinkSV, NebuAd shares at least five high-ranking employees with =
Gator
Corporation, the company that famously changed its name to Claria in =
October
2003 in an apparent attempt to shake-off its reputation as a spyware
distributor.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p>These employees are: Scott Tavenner, Vice President of Business =
Development;
Chuck Gilbert, Senior Product Manager; Mike Miller, Vice President of Ad =
Sales;
Amy Auranicky, Director of Advertising Sales; and Jeanne Houwelingis, =
Vice
President of Advertising Services.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p>Like Claria, NebuAd is based in Redwood City, California, and the =
company
registered its domain in June 2006, just as Claria was <a
href=3D"http://www.techweb.com/wire/security/183701933";>leaving</a> the =
adware
business.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p>But NebuAd says that any ties to Claria are tenuous. "NebuAd and =
Claria
are separate companies with different investors and management and have =
never
been associated with each other," reads a statement from =
NebuAd.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p>"NebuAd was founded in 2006 by noted experts in the anti-virus, =
cyber
security, and online marketing and analytics industry with a fundamental
understanding and focus on consumer privacy and protection. =
NebuAd=1B$B!G=1B(Bs
co-founders come from E.piphany, Juniper Networks, McAfee, Scopus, and
Symantec. Some former Claria employees work at NebuAd, but this is =
typical in
the Valley."<o:p></o:p></p>
<h3>Gator re-made<o:p></o:p></h3>
<p>In 1998, Gator introduced an eponymous desktop software package that =
tracks
the behavior of web surfers as a means of targeting display ads, and it =
was
often bundled with free downloads such as the P2P-sharing app Kazaa. =
When the
company renamed itself, it also renamed its software: Gator became =
Gain.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p>Multiple anti-spyware tools identify and remove Gator/GAIN. Symantec, =
for
instance, <a
href=3D"http://www.symantec.com/security_response/writeup.jsp?docid=3D200=
3-080410-3338-99&tabid=3D3">advocates
removal</a>. But Gator Corp./Claria Corp. had always maintained it does =
not
distribute spyware. In 2003, it sued PC Pitstop for libel went the =
desktop
health software maker used the spyware tag to describe =
Gator.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p>NebuAd has tested its more sophisticated behavioral ad service on <a
href=3D"http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/05/15/charter_and_nebuad/";>seve=
ral
American ISPs</a>, including Charter, WOW!, Knology, and Embarq. When =
Charter <a
href=3D"http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/05/15/charter_and_nebuad/";>anno=
unced</a>
its partnership with the company, two US Congressmen fired a <a
href=3D"http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/05/16/congress_questions_nebuad=
/">letter</a>
at the ISP, asking that test be put on hold.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p>"We respectfully request that you do not move forward on Charter
Communications' proposed venture with NebuAd until we have an =
opportunity to
discuss with you issues raised by this proposed venture," wrote Ed =
Markey,
chairman of the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the =
Internet, and
Joe Barton, ranking member of the House Committee on Energy and =
Commerce.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p>Generally, ISP subscribers can opt-out of NebuAd's service. But =
Markey and
Barton argue that unless the service is opt-in only, it may violate US =
law. ®<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=3Dcommentslink><a
href=3D"http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/06/20/nebuad_claria/comments/";>=
4 comments</a>
posted — <a
href=3D"http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/06/20/nebuad_claria/comments/#c=
omment-form">Post
a new comment</a><o:p></o:p></p>
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