CNET: Yahoo clamps down on Claria adware

Yahoo, whose search division Overture has a very large and profitable relationship with adware creator Claria, updated its anti spyware software "Anti-Spy" so that it fingers the Claria software and other adware as objects requiring user scrutiny. Both Claria and Yahoo, whose contract lasts until 2007, said that their relationship is fine.

A Yahoo executive told CNET that the changes were made at the behest of users who indicated they wanted to know not just about just about overtly malicious programs that self-installed on their computers, but also about any adware that they may have unwittingly allowed on board.

The Yahoo executive said that Claria's adware continues to meet the firm's guidelines for disclosure and uninstallability. The initial release of the update, however, incorrectly identified a spyware program as having come from Claria. Yahoo said the mistake originated from its spyware data provider PestPatrol, a company that has had legal run-ins with Claria in the past.