Aug

24

Tracking The Companies That Track You Online

August 24, 2010 | 1 Comment

Pac IT Pros members:

Members a fellow member sent me info about an NPR story called “Tracking The Companies That Track You Online”. You can either read about it or download the MP3 and listen to it. Remember these are legitimate companies who are bidding for information about you. As you listen/read the story remember there are other “companies” out there collecting personal information about you and auctioning it off your personal information the same way the advisors do.

http://www.npr.org/templates  /story/story.php?storyId=12 9298003

What I never really thought about was how polluted our machines become with the software advertiser install on our machines to track us. AND I’m sure the cyber criminals are figuring out ways to exploit the advertisers tracking software to “own” your machines.

If you use IE 8, I believe (not sure) that InPrivate Browsing will prevent the advertisers from installing their tracking software on your computer. (Browsing with a VM machine would do the same if you don’t save the settings.)

If any of you are privacy advocates, you’re going to have a heart attack hearing this story. (But wait! Don’t have your heart attack until you read about Apple’s patent for spyware being called “traitorware" they want to install on iDevices to record you picture, voice, and “heartbeat.”.) As an American we value our freedoms, including the freedom to visit Yahoo, Google, eBay and porn sites now and then without being tracked. The laws on about these freedoms seem to come out after our freedom has been lost or doesn’t apply as many of these companies are outside the US and do not have to abide by American laws.

I have no answers other then to make you aware of what’s happening.  The only know of one organization that’s working on “our” behalf is the Electronic Frontier Foundation, http://www.eff.org/ I know they are working Apple’s “traitorware" patent and hopefully they are working on others.

http://www.eff.org/deeplinks  /2010/08/steve-jobs-watchin g-you-apple-seeking-patent-0

Even if you are not concerned about our browsing freedoms, just remember there are people outside the US who are using this same technology to steal identities, confidential documents and financial information from us and the companies we do business with.

Stay informed and protect yourself and the company you work for.

Doug


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