Too much of privacy intrusion!

[Pradeep1210]

I installed this firefox addon called "Collusion" today and tried to test it against various websites I frequently visit. This is a really amazing addon that gives you an insight about what all websites may be tracking your online behavior and creating a database on your behavior patterns.

I also found that VBFroums has the highest linked sites that track user behavior, among the sites I visit. (MSDN forums is the least). I can understand why this difference - since VB Forums shows a lot of advertisements, while I hardly see any advertisements on MSDN Forums. But still the number of sites tracking my behavior is quite alarming. The ratio is nearly 18:2

While showing me advertisements is perfectly OK, since VBForums earns from it and is is the basic source of revenue to keep this site running, I'm quite against anyone tracking my online behavior.

Please have a look at the two graphs below:


It's actually more complex that what I've shown above. I just showed these separately to make things easier to understand.

Each of these sites will then link to other sites I visit and then other and then other.

.

[Pradeep1210]

Just left my system idle for a while (browser still open), and see how it has started to multiply....

It isn't even half an hour since I started browsing the internet, and I've opened only two websites till now - VBForums and MSDN Forums.

[Nightwalker83]

While I doubt vbforums does anything illegal with the user information gathered you can't be sure about the third party scripts, etc that the forums use.

[Pradeep1210]

While I doubt vbforums does anything illegal with the user information gathered you can't be sure about the third party scripts, etc that the forums use.

Yes, exactly my point!

We can't trust the third party websites. We don't even visit them and they still find ways to track us.

[Pradeep1210]

A few more hours passed by. I've visited 3 or 4 more sites during this time. The ones which are shining bright are the only ones I have visited. Rest all are tracking my behavior.

Now see the mess...

[techgnome]

For some reason this seemed apropos.

-tg

[Pradeep1210]

Not sure whether it can be termed as paranoia or not. But as I see the graph, even when I'm not opening any new websites, the graph is growing and growing slowly. This means that one website is submitting data to another and the other is submitting to still another. And all the website names it shows (when I hover the mouse over the gray circles) are known for their tracking behavior.

[Pradeep1210]

The ones like the rubicon project are of a bigger concern than others. And while VBF doesn't directly link to it, they seem to get the info via middleman sites, and in turn serve the same to many others.

Microsoft seems to be the coolest of all and really concerned about the privacy policy. It stands apart from the rest. I appreciate.

[thebuffalo]

This is from me coming to this thread. Everytime I refresh, about 10 more pop up.



I see how this can be fishy... This one I have selected is obviously an unauthorized probably illegal advertising company as it was found on my companies website, that has NO ads of any form or links to anywhere else.

EDIT: Turns out, it's just skype.

My total assumption is that it really isn't a concern of privacy, more like advertising companies keeping track of what you use the internet for and basing the advertisements shown to you, on that of your interest.

[SJWhiteley]

...

While showing me advertisements is perfectly OK, since VBForums earns from it and is is the basic source of revenue to keep this site running, I'm quite against anyone tracking my online behavior.

...

Which begs the question, what exactly is being 'tracked'?

[thebuffalo]

Which begs the question, what exactly is being 'tracked'?

Your google searches, recently viewed websites, and I don't want to even know what else....

[Pradeep1210]

Which begs the question, what exactly is being 'tracked'?

Basically what other websites I've been visiting. What are my interests. etc. Basically if someone wants to know more about me (for any odd reason), they may contact one of these sites and they can give away my profiling data.

The worst case could be trying to grab my username/password... but I doubt VBF would have already taken adequate steps against it and should be out of question.

People usually use same or similar passwords to login into different sites on the internet. So if the password of one site is revealed to anyone, it is likely that they can get/guess the password of other sites. And they already know what other sites I visit.

[thebuffalo]

Well, I have also come to the conclusion that is also picks up external links, for example CharityWater shows up in mine once I come to this page, and if I go to the GIF thread, imageshack and tinypic show up. So not all of the websites that come up in there are ad trackers. Some are even your own plugins showing up, like my skype addon shows up as just a bunch of random letters.

[Pradeep1210]

Basically people with malicious intent can inject xss code into advertisements and grab usernames and passwords, unless the websites have been carefully coded to prevent such things. So if a site allows cross site scripting (via advertisements etc.), there's always a chance. And by the time such a thing is detected, a lot of information is already gone.

But then that's in the worst case. It's not a routine thing.

[Pradeep1210]

for example CharityWater shows up in mine once I come to this page.

That's probably from my signature

[SJWhiteley]

Basically people with malicious intent can inject xss code into advertisements and grab usernames and passwords, unless the websites have been carefully coded to prevent such things. So if a site allows cross site scripting (via advertisements etc.), there's always a chance. And by the time such a thing is detected, a lot of information is already gone.

But then that's in the worst case. It's not a routine thing.

But you still lock your door at night, right?

But the question remains, what *exactly* is being tracked?

As an example, if you buy a red sweater from Sweaters-r-us and you see a guy following you around, would you not get suspicious, even though they are not following *you* but are following [tracking] the sweater?

[Pradeep1210]

But you still lock your door at night, right?

But the question remains, what *exactly* is being tracked?

As an example, if you buy a red sweater from Sweaters-r-us and you see a guy following you around, would you not get suspicious, even though they are not following *you* but are following [tracking] the sweater?

Probably you are right!

But if too many guys start following me then I should get suspicious

[Pradeep1210]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTTP_cookie

Please have a look the sections on Privacy and cookie-theft.

[CVMichael]

An ad-blocker makes a big difference when I compare my results to yours.
I browsed several sites, like google, vbforums, youtube, msn, MillionShort, tribute.ca, all about circuits, mikroElektronika, and all I got is what you see in attached picture, some sites that I browsed did not even show up in the Collusion view.

It seems that my ad-blocker still lets 2-3 sites through, but I think it does a good job compared to your results.

[koolsid]

Here is a much better way to minimize those in FF!

1) Use AdBlock Plus

2) Click on Tools | Options

In the Privacy Tab under "Tracking", "Tell Websites I do not want to be tracked"

3) If using FireFox then Go to menu Tools | Start Private Browsing

Now Check your Graph

[CVMichael]

Yup... Points 1 & 2, plus I also have "AVG Do Not Track", but still some tracking sites slip through.

I wish there was a way to right click on one of those and choose "Add to tracking filter" (or something like that)

[Pradeep1210]

I won't like to block ads, since the sites/forums I'm browsing lose revenue due to that. That revenue is essential to keep the site going. All I want is not to be tracked for my internet usage behavior.

I use ad-block plus mainly on games websites, since they take it to the nastiest levels, showing flash ads and eating up a large part of my bandwidth. Plus they have other ways of earning money.

I think what Sid suggested as point 2 (Tell websites I do not want to be tracked), is what I'm really looking for. I'll give it a try and let everyone here know how it goes

[SJWhiteley]

I think what Sid suggested as point 2 (Tell websites I do not want to be tracked), is what I'm really looking for. I'll give it a try and let everyone here know how it goes

I'm a bit dubious on how effective this is: is it a 'request' to not track, or is there a technical barrier? It seems that the tracking one would most want to block would be those that would be most likely to ignore a request.

[Shaggy Hiker]

My understanding is that track blocking isn't quite here, yet, but will be soon. I'm sure it will be opt-in, I'm just amazed that it is opt at all. I wouldn't expect that Google would be thrilled with not allowing tracking considering that their entire revenue stream comes from ads.