CNET: CNET: Gator foe bitten, but still not shy

Unemployed mascot

In September, as part of a settlement with the controversial and formerly reptilian-named online marketing company, PC Pitstop agreed to remove references to Gator from its "Spyware Information Center." Gator had successfully argued that its "adware" was different from "spyware" because users had to agree to download and use it. Pitstop refused to wash its hands of the ordeal, though. Instead, it laid low, pumped its tank full of diesel, and re-affixed its bumper sticker reading "I Don't Brake for Gator."

Fast forward to today. Gator has been renamed Claria, and Pitstop no longer refers to its nemesis's software as "spyware." Yet the Pitstop's Gator Information Center is now up and running, urging Gator users to remove the software, spread the word, and complain to the Federal Trade Commission and elected officials.

The extent to which Claria's conducts bad industry practices (if it's guilty at all) is up for debate, yet both Claria and Pitstop agree that a percentage of users who download the software don't realize what they're doing. The two parties merely differ on what that percentage is. That being the case, Pitstop is a useful resource for those who want to get rid of the software.