Lavasoft (adaware) Quits C.o.a.s.t.

[HolyMoly]

LavaSoft, developer of AdAware and founder of the Consortium Of Anti-Spyware Technology (C.O.A.S.T.) recently quit the group. Here are the blurbs from both C.O.A.S.T. and LavaSoft giving their individual takes on the surprising move:

Press release from C.O.A.S.T.

The Consortium of Anti-Spyware Vendors, known as COAST (www.coast-info.org) was founded by leading anti-spyware vendors in order to educate consumers, standardize definitions, and encourage application developers to create products and market those product in such a way that respects users’ privacy. In April of 2003, PestPatrol and Lavasoft began laying the groundwork for the Consortium, and with the addition of Aluria Software and Webroot Software in June 2003, work to define the Consortium’s goals and objectives began in earnest.

In recognizing that a principle of inclusion was essential to becoming an instrument of positive change, the founding members determined it was vital that membership extend to software developers, other anti- spyware creators, academics, journalists, consumer advocates and any professional organization that shares a common goal to defend the privacy of individuals and businesses. In keeping with this realization, an outside moderator was engaged to run the day-to-day activities of the organization and to accommodate the collaboration of so many diverse groups and opinions.

This week Lavasoft chose to resign from COAST. In keeping with the intended spirit of inclusion, COAST continues to welcome and encourage alternate opinions and strives to put aside our individual agendas to work toward a common goal. Therefore, we respect Lavasoft’s decision, even while we know that ultimately we all seek the same protection for our end users. This goal of better protection will only be achieved by the ongoing efforts of everyone in our industry to continually create and refine the policies, procedures, and best practices we put together.

All of our members understand that operating an organization – even a not-for-profit one – requires funding and we are pleased that our members have chosen to donate to the consortium to ensure it’s longevity. Our charter is to find a mutually agreed upon set of principles that govern spyware and privacy. If our focus is on that goal then the realities of the Consortium’s financial health are simply a means to that end.

Since the official launch of COAST in September 2003, the group has

* Incorporated as a non profit organization

* Launched the beginnings of an informational web site

* Gained significant interest from other anti-spyware vendors, researchers, application developers and journalists -- all seeking to improve the industry’s approach to creating products and marketing practices that better respect the privacy of end users.

COAST will continue to work with members and other industry groups to improve spyware detection, to influence industry standards, to motivate application developers against creating spyware, and ultimately to improve the privacy, security and computing experience of the end user. We are committed to advancing our original goals and objectives and invite the entire industry to join us in this endeavor.

Respectfully,

Matt Henne

Executive Director

Consortium of Anti Spyware Technology Vendors

On behalf of the member companies

Press release from LavaSoft

Nicolas Stark Computing AB (Lavasoft) announces that we will no longer tolerate, support, or participate in the COAST (Consortium of Anti-Spyware Technology Vendors) organization. The current leadership's overt agenda to concentrate on revenue generation flies in the face of the spirit of the original mission Lavasoft set forth when we founded COAST. Not only do their current efforts shed a bad light on COAST, but also reflect badly on the entire anti-trackware industry.

To understand our decision to leave the organization we founded, you will need to understand what COAST was intended to be and why we started it in the first place.

Over the last two years we have become increasingly concerned about the obvious problems with overall standards and the unethical behavior of many new entrants to the anti-trackware industry. Nicolas Stark began the Ad-aware project in direct response to the security industry's inability/refusal to address on-line Privacy and aggressive advertising issues. The goal then as it is now is to provide a means to inform the user of what has been installed on their systems, to enable them to remove said content at their choice, and to bring pressure on the advertising/software industry to change the way they do business.

It was expected and inevitable that the popularity and success of Ad-aware would cause others to see an opportunity and join the industry. This is just simple economics and is the way all industries begin and later, grow. What we have found both extremely disturbing and to be a great disappointment is that most of those who chose to enter the anti-trackware industry have not had the fortitude or desire to adhere to the standards we have set from the beginning. They see potential sales and revenue as the goal of their existence rather than embracing the causes of consumer reporting, ethical advertising, and social change.

In June of 2003, we began what has become known as COAST (The Consortium of Anti-Spyware Technology Vendors). Our goal was to bring together a group of industry leaders to formulate detection/definition standards, a code of ethical conduct, consumer education, and an easily accessible place where everyone could come to find information about companies and applications that adhere to the highest standards of public service.

Implicit in our original mandate was that COAST would also provide software developers with a centralized resource for contacting anti-trackware vendors directly to discover exactly why their applications were detected and what they would be required to change in order to be removed from each vendor's database. We held and still hold that this process is part of each vendor member's basic responsibilities as an anti-trackware developer.

These ideals have become corrupt and distorted by the organization we first founded with the highest expectations and not because we became a party to them, but because we did not choose our partners wisely. What started as an idea with only the noblest of intentions has degenerated into a commercialistic quagmire where sources of funding have become a priority and the ideals Lavasoft represents an impediment to their enrichment at the expense of both new entrants to the industry and the companies represented in our collective databases.

How is charging an emerging anti-trackware developer $2,500.00/year or a large software development company up to $5,000.00/year just to join COAST equitable or even fair. The current Consortium plan is to have software developers (makers of applications the industry has added to their collective databases) apply and pay to join, then to charge them a certification fee to review their separate applications. This we vehemently argued and voted against to no avail. The only possible benefit of this system is that the COAST organization is enriched rather than to do what it was meant to do. We hold that COAST does not need to charge exorbitant rates for membership to effectively perform its mandate nor will we stand by and accept what they are trying to do without doing what we do best; fighting to protect the public from unethical behavior whether it be in the applications we detect or in those we associate with.

Not only do the other vendor members of COAST focus their collective attention on revenue streams, some also engage in some of the worst practices that Lavasoft was first conceived to fight against. We have attempted to force them to realize the error of their ways and to get COAST back on the right track, but it has become obvious that they neither value our counsel nor do they see it as relevant to their current goals.

We will not be associated with companies that see the reporting of unsolicited commercial e-mail, illegal use of registered trademarks in advertising, and theft of intellectual property as inconveniences rather than actionable offenses. They have chosen to focus on commercial advantage (though COAST is a registered Non-Profit) rather than to understand the larger implications of what they are doing or to act decisively and collectively to present a unified front to the advertising industry. They either will not or are not competent enough to investigate fully those they would ask to become members or take the time to realize that unethical behavior of any member reflects directly on all members and makes the effort useless at the very least.

In light of the failure of COAST to place the end user in the forefront of their thinking and because they have decided to concentrate on revenue streams and process, we are announcing our rejection of their goals as detrimental to the causes of on-line Privacy and advertising ethics. We will not allow our message and mission to become derailed by anyone. Be they our industry competitors or advertising giants makes no difference. Too often we are told that there is no right or wrong, only shades of gray. This article is meant to put the industry on notice that Lavasoft will not be intimidated, coerced, or persuaded that we need to go along to get along. There is a right way to do things and compromise is not an acceptable method. You either do what you say you will do, do it well, or you stop doing it.