Microsoft about to buy into a BIG mistake

What are the big heads at Redmond thinking, or perhaps not as the case may be?

According to the latest Spyware Weekly Newsletter and our very own IT Blogwatch, Microsoft is seriously thinking about, or pretty close to, buying Claria, the makers of wonderful spyware filled software such as Gator.

Makes me really wonder what happened to "a nicer, kinder" Microsoft.

Buying a company that was built to pretty much do one thing and do it well, track customers, is a very bad move image wise for Microsoft at a time when their image counts most.

Maybe I'm being naive when I think that consumers will pay attention to this and make Microsoft pay heartily for this merger, but I wouldn't be surprised if most people ignore it and Microsoft's stock goes up after they are able to increase sales by using the new purchased tracking systems.

Which would be sad indeed. Microsoft and other large companies need to know that this sort of behavior won't be tolerated. Forget about terrorism, the greatest threat against national and personal security at this moment in time is the utter lack of protection for our private data.

In the last few years, the amount of thefts of credit, social security and other personal information has skyrocketed.

Microsoft says they want to be known for their high security products and for how they treat customers and help them with their daily issues, but how can they continue to say that with a straight face when they actually look at these sorts of business moves?

Will this be business as usual for Microsoft where they say one thing and do another, or will they actually live up to their promises and not go ahead with this incredibly sociopathic merger?