Internet Security and Privacy
Am I really being tracked
on the Internet?
Yes and No. You specifically are
typically not being tracked, but the general information about your
surfing habits may be. Typical Web sites collect basic information
such as browser type, operating system, referring URL, etc. when you visit their site.
This information is often used to determine where people learn about a
particular Web site and what type of browser and/or operating system
their visitors are using. Often times Web sites will use cookies
and/or cache items (i.e. images) to determine if you have been to that
particular Web site, or a Web site which they be affiliated. This can
provide useful information for marketing purposes and advertising
campaigns.
What information is really
available for tracking by a Web site?
Generally specific information such as
your name, email, and passwords are NOT available to a Web site.
Web sites and Web pages do have access to certain
information about your computer, browser and operating system.
This information includes:
IP Address
The address of your computer. If you are using a Dial-Up (modem)
connection, this address typically changes each time you connect to the
Internet. If you have a permanent connection ( Cable, DSL,
ISDN, T1 ) this address may be static (stays the same). If you have
a static IP address, it is advisable that you run firewall software such
as ZoneAlarm or Tiny Personal Firewall to product your computer from
possible attack from the outside world.
Browser Information
The basic information such as if you are running Internet Explorer or
Netscape is transmitted when you visit a Web site.
Computer Information
A Web site can use scripting languages such as JavaScript or VBScript
to determine information about your computer such as screen size, and
color depth. This information is basically harmless and is used for
survey purposes only.
Referring URL
The referring URL is the Web site and/or page that you came
from prior to visiting a Web site. This provides basic information about
what link or ad you may have clicked prior to visiting a vendors Web site.
How does this tracking
work?
There are many techniques for tracking a
users surfing habits. We have highlighted the most common
techniques below.
Banner Ad Servers and Cookies
Banner ad servers have been noted to be the
biggest culprit in attempting to use your surfing habits to better target
ads to the viewer that may be most appealing. For instance, if
you visit a Web site that provides information on purchasing a new vehicle,
chances are, you are looking for a new car. The ad server will
place a cookie (piece of information) on your computer that can be later
used by another ad server to understand what ads, or sites you have
visited. If you then visit another Web site that uses the same, or an
affiliated ad server, that ad server can read the cookie placed by
the first Web site and "know" that you are interested in a new
car and display an appropriate ad.
While this type of tracking may not be damaging in any way, this
information can still be used to gain a basic understanding of you and
your surfing habits, which may not be desirable in some cases.
Advanced Techniques often referred to as Web bugs
New advanced techniques have started to appear so that even if you block
cookies from your browser, a Web site can still determine if you have
visited an affiliated Web site. One form of the technique
involves timing how long an individual image takes to load on a Web
page. If you have visited another Web page that uses the same image,
the image will be already stored in your local computer's cache (Temporary
Internet Files) and will load very quickly. If you have not visited a
site with this image before, it will load slower. This way,
affiliated Web sites will all display the same logo image, or an invisible
image, that can later be used for tracking.
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