So far I haven't seen any proof for gator (&c) being an evil spytool, as some people like to state. Surely, I wouldn't install it (for a couple of reasons), but I don't believe those tools are as dangerous as you think. I've not seen any log-files that actually indicate Gator is doing any worse than tracking which websites you visit and how often you visit them.

If you are so afraid of spyware (paranoia?!), - don't use proprietary software.