Claria Exiting Adware Business

Claria, best known for its Gator adware program, said Tuesday that it would exit the adware business in order to focus on personalized search. According to a statement announcing the move, Claria has a number of interested buyers.

There are conditions to a sale, however. Claria said it would only sell if the purchaser agrees to abide by industry standards set by TRUSTe and other groups to govern adware. A sale is expected by mid-year.

The company has been working to change its image since last year, when it first made public plans to shift its advertising model to a more legit model. Claria's technology even apparently interested Microsoft, who reportedly was in negotiations to acquire the company.

Claria also said it was close to the launch of PersonalWeb, a new web personalization application that would make its debut in April. In order for companies to take Claria seriously, the company apparently felt shedding its adware side of the business was necessary.

"We are delighted by both partner and market acceptance of our new personalization technologies," Claria president and CEO Scott VanDeVelde said. "This is an exciting time for Claria as we finalize plans for the beta launch of PersonalWeb and the upcoming announcement of key partnerships."

Personalization has become a big business in search as of late. Google, Yahoo, Amazon.com and Microsoft have all been working on ways to personalize search in order to maximize market share and gain new users.