Webroot Software withdraws membership from COAST

Webroot Software withdraws membership from COAST

Webroot Software announced today that after careful consideration,
the company has decided to withdraw its membership from the Consortium
of Anti-Spyware Technology Vendors (COAST). The company issued the
following statement:

Webroot has always considered our obligations to our customers as our
most important mission as a company. We believe their protection,
privacy and peace of mind are paramount and have developed products
and supported public policies that reflect that view. Our founding of
the Consortium of Anti-Spyware Technology Vendors, or COAST, also
reflected that position.

There is a very odd and long history about COAST.  COAST was founded
by other companies including Aluria Software.  Aluria Software last
year gave "Spyware Safe" status to WhenU.  COAST recently added
180solutions to its membership.  And now Webroot has left this
organization.

Some interesting information about Aluria Software and their delisting of
WhenU for their antispyware product, including how America Online
insisted WhenU stay listed for their AOL members can be read on their
website.

20 questions were sent to Aluria and they answered, electing not to
answer one critical question about why two dictionaries exist.

1) AOL insists on WhenU being listed in Aluria's Spyware Eliminator
2) Outside of AOL, WhenU was listed as Spyware Safe and delisted in
   Aluria's Spyware Eliminator

Out of roughly 1500 respondants, 85% no longer trust Aluria:

Could COAST be Toast?  Wayne Porter from Revenews decidedly thinks so.

Lavasoft was another defector from the COAST organization much
earlier. It appears that with all the anti-spyware folks leaving
COAST, the companies who remain are called into question on their
motives.

John Dvorak in his CBS Marketwatch weekley column stated:

...There are many others including the highly regarded Spyware
Eliminator from Aluria which seems to be in the middle of a conflict
of interest debate you can read about at the Castlecops website.
Currently this program is unavailable until these issues are resolved...

"Will COAST be Toast?"
"Will Aluria be Eliminated?"

Aluria has already taken measures in the past to stop comments about
their own privacy policy.  One smart reader spotted an old cache
archive and found that Spywareguide was correct.

A website called AdwareReport was highly critical of the Spywareguide
article, but history has shown that Spywareguide reported on factual
-- albeit dated -- Aluria privacy policy.

BroadbandReports picked up on this Aluria defending their
certification of WhenU.

It appears that public commentary does not favor Aluria.

WildersSecurity picked up the story and made "The Lure of Aluria"
available for readers.

In one article Spywareguide ordered by Aluria to
cease and desist.

Earlier Suzi at SpywareWarrior was Baffled by Aluria comments.

SpywareInfo delisted Aluria from their database.

The companies that exist as members of COAST today (notice Webroot was
not yet removed).

It also appears 180solutions is not listed in the membership yet either.

Weatherbug had known spyware.

180solutions had known spyware.

I'm sure the public would like to know from Computer Associates who
now owns PestPatrol.  Will they continue to remain partners with COAST?  
As Wayne put it, "Is COAST Toast"?