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Tracking Bots and Cookies

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George_Race:
I have been a computer nerd since the early days of the S-100 Buss computer.  Since the advent of the internet, a lot has been done by many to make big money by looking at your viewing habits.  When you look at software providers like Facebook, Twitter, Google, Yahoo, and the list goes on, most are multimillion dollar companies.   How do they make so much money?  One of their main income streams is the banner ads that you see when you sign on to their sites.  Those are all paid commercials.  Just think of the number of times when one has appealed to you and you have clicked on the add to get more information.  That is what I call a "gotcha" moment.  Little did you know that you have started a process called "Tracking."   But, now it even goes deeper!  You no longer need to click on anything, just visiting a site starts a whole tracking process.  Someone is watching and reporting on what you are doing to someone somewhere!

So how is all of this happening?  I an not going into a lot of technical detail, you can do your own research if you are interested.  Tracking Cookies are what is making it all happen.   When you connect to a web site, often they place a "Cookie" on your computer, in a file that is linked to your web browsing program.  There are good Cookies too.  When you connect to this site, and you don't need to sign in, it is because you have registered and it know who you are from the information contained in the Cookie that was placed on your computer and you told your browser to remember you user name and password.

Here is an example of what a tracking cookie can do.  Lets say you are at web sites for new cars.  You visit a bunch and even leave your email address and other information on several sites, wanting to hear back from the dealership.  Almost immediately, you start getting email from all kinds of automotive related sites.  You check into some sites and the "Side Bar" contains car ads from the brands you have been inquiring about.  You got it, tracking cookies at work!  The worst offenders out there seem to be google and yahoo.  They are collecting more information than all the other programs put together.  It is incredible the information that they have on each and every one of us, who use the internet.

There are many types of programs that are designed to help you stop tracking, we all have seem them come and go over the years.  I have recently found a program that I think everyone should be running in the background on their browser, and it works with all browsers!  It is a very small completely free program, with no strings attached.  The program is "Do Not Track Plus" and can be downloaded from:  http://do-not-track-plus.en.softonic.com/

It places a very small graphic in the upper right corner of the top line on your browser.  In that graphic is a small number that indicates the number of "trackers" that are tracking you on any web site you visit.  I have seen as many as 22 trackers trying to get access to me on some sites.

You can click on the graphic and see who is trying to track you, as well as the number of blocked trackers you have to date.  I have been using the program for just over a month.  Below is a quick screen shot of my current stats.

No matter what browser you are using, there is a way to delete all the hundreds of cookies that are probably already on you computer.  Look at your browser help file to find out how.  ONE NOTE OF CAUTION:  If you delete ALL your cookies, you will no longer be able to sign in without having to put in your password and username one more time.  Just delete all of those that you don't recognize and you will really be a step up on the trackers.

Everyone needs to have this program on their computer.
George

Maryak:
George,

I use this + Tor Browser + Adblockplus + Collusion. I seem to have things pretty well under control now. Collusion is showing links which I am happy about and in a couple of weeks I have blocked 2467 tracking attempts.

I fully agree with you, everyone should install "do not track plus."

It was Bogs post about Collusion that got me started and I was shocked at how much info was being obtained without my knowledge or permission.

Best Regards
Bob

Stuart:
for mac users

In the latest version of Safari there is a tab under preferences /privacy to ask site not to track you


Stuart


Good post there George  I have been a nerd since the Zilog Z80 days

Bogstandard:
Well over a week ago, Ketan of Arc Eurotrade contacted me about my post concerning trackers, and gave me a very good rundown of how they work, and he even allowed me access to his personal files of his website, showing everything about how the trackers help him run his business. He was worried that people might get the wrong idea about them.

He stated that a lot of the trackers are just that, tracking for information gathering that is basically sold to whoever wants the info, but the only type he uses are ones that gather information that help him run his business.

To give an example, using the information that his tracking system gathers, he can work out where in the world his sales are coming from, and what parts of the world are the most profitable to his business.
This allows him to target certain areas in the world and maybe be able to do something about low sales from that area, maybe he could look at getting cheaper shipping if it is available. Of course, I can't remember everything that this software does, but I could find nothing in his system that either annoyed me or caused me any concern at all.

I suspect that a lot of small suppliers are using this Google system in an attempt to keep their head above water in these dire financial times., and it has even caused Ketan to look at maybe reducing prices even lower than his very good rates are, so look out for a few special offers over the next few months.

Another point he did raise with me was the new laws coming into force in the UK, where cookies have to have permission from the computer owner to have them installed on their system.
Very few retailers or websites are doing this yet, but fairly soon, it is expected that this will become compulsory here in the UK.

Ketan and John Stevenson have already taken or are taking action to be in the forefront of this exercise. John's site already has it in position, and Ketan's is almost there, held back because he wants to get all the wording correct and easily understood by the layman.

I know that this only scrapes the surface, but if I were to write down everything that I was shown, you would be reading for hours, and you most probably wouldn't understand it all, as I couldn't.

I have to say now, even though I have Ketan and John as personal friends, I have no involvement in their businesses, and if I do recommend something from their sites, it is purely because it would benefit the members.

John

George_Race:
John, you are correct, there are good cookies out there that can be of help to those of us who use the web to sell our products.  When you visit my site, I place a cookie in your browsers cookie storage area.  Here is a link to my tracker information:

http://statcounter.com/p7004320/summary/

By clicking on this link, you will see the kind of information that I am collection from my visitors.  There is not any way that I can contact you or know who you are from the statistics that I collect.

If I were to subscribe to the services offered by Google, as an example, I would be able to see who you are, and get back information about every web site you visited and what you were looking at while you were there.  That would enable me to target you with special offers on items you were interested in.  That is the kind of cookie that I think needs to be blocked on the user end!

I am pleased to hear that the UK is going to make it so the end user has control of cookies being placed on their computers.  That is a great step to be taken, one that probably can never happen here in the states.   The Google's and Yahoos have so much political clout, due to the millions of dollars they make on line, I don't think it can ever happen here.

Installing Do Not Track Plus will at least give you an ides of WHO is tracking you, and give you the opportunity to block the information that they are collecting.

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