gadfly
09-16-2003, 01:30 AM
For all who might be interested - I discovered today that my service provider is now dumping a 'tracking cookie'in my cookies folder - one that is invasive enough to be identified by Spybot as Spyware.
This is what Telus at http://www.mytelus.com/ (a Canadian Service Providing providing services in Alberta, BC and Ont.) says by way of 'warning' of this 'tracking cookie:
"Your choice will be saved for future visits using cookies. Be sure that you have cookies turned on before choosing your province."
As I said before Spybot identified the cookie as part of it's scan for sypware.
Cookie:[my name]@ehg-mybc.hitbox.com/
Perhaps under normal circumstance this wouldn't be a big concern - a cookie that tracks your internet activities - supposedly accumulating 'anonomous' statistical info in order to improve their service. Unfortunately the recent court ruling in favour of the RIAA indicates that any information our ISP's have on us IS NO LONGER considered a 'private' matter. There is now no guarantee that this information could not someday be passed over along with our names - when a 'powerful' corporation deems this is necessary in order to protect the interests of big business. Privacy of information may become a thing of the past.
Given this - I am a BIT concerned when a service provider is dropping "tracking" cookies into my computer.
Furthermore - what is the 'potential' of this 'cookie' - does any of us know? Can it also access our 'history' files - which include not only 'online' info - but where we've been in our own computer - what programs we have installed . . .
My advice to anyone 'visiting' the websites of their respective service providers - clean out your history and cookie files prior to your visit - and 'run spybot' - or at least 'emptemp' immediately after you leave.
Sorry to contribute to the paranoia running rampant at present - but I felt a word of caution was in order.
Take care
Gad
This is what Telus at http://www.mytelus.com/ (a Canadian Service Providing providing services in Alberta, BC and Ont.) says by way of 'warning' of this 'tracking cookie:
"Your choice will be saved for future visits using cookies. Be sure that you have cookies turned on before choosing your province."
As I said before Spybot identified the cookie as part of it's scan for sypware.
Cookie:[my name]@ehg-mybc.hitbox.com/
Perhaps under normal circumstance this wouldn't be a big concern - a cookie that tracks your internet activities - supposedly accumulating 'anonomous' statistical info in order to improve their service. Unfortunately the recent court ruling in favour of the RIAA indicates that any information our ISP's have on us IS NO LONGER considered a 'private' matter. There is now no guarantee that this information could not someday be passed over along with our names - when a 'powerful' corporation deems this is necessary in order to protect the interests of big business. Privacy of information may become a thing of the past.
Given this - I am a BIT concerned when a service provider is dropping "tracking" cookies into my computer.
Furthermore - what is the 'potential' of this 'cookie' - does any of us know? Can it also access our 'history' files - which include not only 'online' info - but where we've been in our own computer - what programs we have installed . . .
My advice to anyone 'visiting' the websites of their respective service providers - clean out your history and cookie files prior to your visit - and 'run spybot' - or at least 'emptemp' immediately after you leave.
Sorry to contribute to the paranoia running rampant at present - but I felt a word of caution was in order.
Take care
Gad