Alexa toolbar's dark past

[Wail]

I've often wondered - but never brought it up - why the Alexa toolbar has such a dark past.

The toolbar tracks your Internet usage. This intelligence goes towards making the Alexa directory with traffic ranking and related sites. Anti-spyware checks tend to pick up on Alexa and warn of data mining.

Other toolbars do this too. The A9 toolbar is almost exactly the same. It tracks the same things and contributes to the same directories. I've yet to see the A9 toolbar labeled as a data miner.

Now, as long as I've known Alexa it's been clear in their Terms and Conditions as to what the toolbar does and how it does it.

Why is the Alexa toolbar considered to be spyware by some whereas other toolbars are not?

I think the Alexa toolbar is being unfairly treated. It's been punished for being ahead of its time.

(I feel like adding: Discuss (25 marks) - but I'll resist!)