Claria Corporation (formerly Gator Corporation) was a software company based in Redwood City, California with products many considered spyware. It was established in 1998 by Denis Coleman. Its name was often used interchangeably with its Gain advertising network, which it claimed serviced over 40 million users. Claria exited the adware business at the end of second quarter 2006., and eventually shut down completely in October 2008. However, its software still remains installed on millions of PCs.
The "Gator" (also known as Gain AdServer) products collected personal information from its unknowing users, including all websites visited and portions of credit card numbers to target and display ads on the computers of web surfers. It billed itself as the "leader in online behavioral marketing". The company changed its name to Claria Corporation on October 30, 2003 in an effort to "better communicate the expanding breadth of offerings that provide to consumers and advertisers", according to CEO and President Jeff McFadden. Strategic rebranding such as this is often an attempt by a corporation at distancing itself from "past product errors or partnerships".
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