Author: Andy Serpa
Date: 00:51:31 11/25/01
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Hmmm... Thoughts: 1) According to the definition offered at Bugnosis.org, the FIDE counter does not consitute a web bug, because it is not invisible. In fact, not only is it not invisible, it is clearly an advertisment -- an invitation to check out FIDE.com. 2) The counter has no particular "abilities" that enable it to do anything that CCC couldn't do otherwise, and every page, every image, every banner ad on the internet can do essentially the same thing -- although possibly not as easily. In other words, the invisible / not invisible distinction is essentially meaningless -- the bugnosis people just want to make it sound like something is done to you against your will. 3) As an example, CCC could take all the information it knows about all of us: Names, email addresses, logs of every time we log on and what posts we read -- they could make a file on each of us by analyzing the content of our posts to determine our likes & dislikes, and sell all that to whoever would buy it. The question is: do you trust CCC not to do that? In other words, you have to realize that when get on the internet, even though it may seem as though you are alone in your house, you are actually "going out into the world" and interacting with it, just without your body. Entering a website is no different from entering a record store or restaurant. If he wanted, Stan the cashier could keep a log of every time you came into the store, what brand of shoes you were wearing, etc., reconcile that with his mailing list that contains your name and address and sell it to someone. The question is: do you trust Stan the cashier not to do that? The point: they're not *taking* the information from you, you are *giving* it to them. 3) Of course, no one but an anti-terrorist unit is going to go through all that trouble to record the information manually -- that's why they use cookies connected to invisible images (& "club cards" at the supermarket). 4) What's the huge nefarious effect all these potentialities can have on your life? Well, some marketing company may figure out that you have a dog, and you'll find yourself getting PetSmart catalogs in the mail every so often. Actually, there are some real threats there: insurance companies denying you coverage for <blank>, or potential employers knowing more about you than you do when you show up for an interview. Easy solution: don't fill out forms on the web (which means not joining forums like these) and disable cookies in your browser. Now what do to about Stan the cashier?
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