I know, Spyware is a dirty word. But let's consider a few things.
1. Google owns Doubleclick.com, a KNOWN tracking cookie.
2. Every time you run an Anti-Spyware scanner, Doubleclick.com is tagged.
3. For fun, I set up a GMail account to gain access to the plethora of Google apps and fun components.
4. One service is called iGoogle--it's a personalized page like My Yahoo and Pageflakes (see previous post on this)
5. When I clicked on iGoogle, a page appeared with modules of all my REAL favorite sites.
NOW, how did Google know me so well. I admit that the personalized page was dead on, available to me to drop or add modules. Any harm done? Not really. BUT, I don't like the idea of my browsing history being tracked.
At first I didn't like it at all. But then sometimes they put some realy good stuff. Then next thing you know, I was off reading something that had nothing to do with what I got on to do in the first place. Now I want to read everything but I try to keep my card in another room. What ever they are trying to sell me has to be good for me to get up and go get it.
Well they have been tracking us for years .So I guess they know us better then we do,cause I forget things and they don't.But I learned to block out the ads when I'm looking at things.It does sound a little creepy.
To me, just the thought of being "tracked" in any form of fashion seems to bother me. And yet I too, must admit was one of those when everyone was complaining about the government watching us that it was "ok, because I had nothing to hide"....
Which I don't have anything to hide if the government wants to watch my moves, in fact, they will be very bored with me and my activities. LOL
How do you browse this vast universe called the Web and not be tracked, not pick up this cookie, this tracking bug here or there?
So I don't like it, but can I stop it and full availability to roam the net?
Not only do they track, they read the gmails apparently...I recently went to L.A.. for a long weekend. In discussions about the trip I had mentioned some dinner places...chinese, pizza....the response from CA had ads on the side panel for CHINESE AND PIZZA restaurants...all within ten minutes of where I would be staying....now THAT gets a little strange....
Privacy on the web? Nope, every request you make, every web page you visit leaves a track through every server said request passes through. It's how the web works, your pc sends a request out to load a page. The page server sends the info back to your ip address where your computer is. The IP address you pay for in your name, with your credit card, that your ISP keeps a record of. All along the way these requests pass through various servers, leaving a track. Run traceroute sometime and see how many other computers your request passes through.That's a vastly oversimplified explanation but it gets the idea across.
You can use an anonymous service, some commercial, some free, to obfuscate your activities, for the most part. The price is usually a slow down in response times. The best free service I know of is JAP. You can read more about it and others here:
As for Google reading your mail, that's done with an algorithm that recognizes keywords, nothing more. Why do they do it? To sell advertising of course. That's how Google provides all its services to users for free. The money these days is in information, not user fees.
And unless you're encrypting your email, that's pretty much akin to writing everything on the back of a postcard and mailing it out. And don't get me started on credit card companies selling info on shopping habits....lol.
If you use Firefox, there is an extension called CustomizeGoogle that allows you to prevent click tracking, block Google analytic cookies, remove ads from groups, gmail, etc. Doesn't stop them entirely from tracking you but it does put a considerable dent in them. Also, doubleclick cookies/ads can be blocked by putting a simple entry in the hosts file that references any doubleclick address, i.e., doubleclick.com to the local host 127.0.0.1. Works quite well.
I'm a fatalist. It comes with working with other people's data and information (mostly medical information) for too many years. Our personal "stuff" has *always* been out there, it's just that the web, the internet, makes it more accessible and quicker to get at, that's all.
We live in an age of "quick hits", "quick advertising", "quick to the market and quick to die". It ain't going away in our lifetimes.
As long as I know that I'm doing nothing illegal, immoral or fattening, I'm ok with it. What real choice do we have, anyway?
So, let's enjoy what we have, get that GTA4 revved up and heist sumthin' real quick, before someone else in the game gets it!
Okay, you guys are really started to freak me out with all this tracking stuff!! I pay most of my bills on line, do some ordering on line....is my banking, credit cards & stuff safe??? The quicker the answer, the better I'll sleep tonight.
pigs, NOT TO WORRY. This "tracking" has nothing to do with personal privacy. The sites you visit for on-line banking and on-line shopping are "secure" sites. You normally see http"s" in the URL vs the normal http.
I live in a 100% paperless world. I haven't written a paper check in 5 years. I have made more than 1,000 on-line purchases on-line during the same time period--NO INCIDENTS.
BUT, a cautious approach is always wise. Don't click on ads or links from sources you do not know. Malware is often "hidden" in such. Practice safe browsing and always use a credit card. WHAT DID HE SAY?
Yep, a credit card, is the safest way to buy online. You don't pay the charge if false, report it, it's credited, and the credit card company does all the investigating. They say you are liable for $50 for a false charge, but they waive it due to the sensitivity of consumers to privacy fraud.
NEVER USE A DEBIT CARD Sid's Rule: The money is charged directly to your bank account. It then becomes YOUR job to resolve a suspected fraudulent charge--BIG PITA
Sid's right....use a credit card for online purchases. He's also spot-on when it comes to "the best person who can do appropriate diligence and protect my financial online transactions" is me! I mean, "you!. << insert head shake here >>
If you're careful, follow the master's guidelines, and don't drive into his neighborhood in Grand Theft Auto, you'll be just fine!
