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Thread ID: 21529	2002-06-28 05:39:00	compaq spyware ???	tweak'e (174)	Press F1

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57941	2002-06-28 05:39:00	just something i found while catching up ........ Path: news.grc.com!. From: "Diegus" <diegus@?????l.com> Newsgroups: grc.security.hardware Subject: COMPAQ PRESARIO Date: Mon, 10 Jun 2002 18:03:11 +0200 Lines: 99 Message-ID: <ae2ilp$2iis$1@news.grc.com> Poster: [212.180.91.145] (10 Jun 2002 16:04:10 GMT) Non-Authenticated User X-No-Archive: yes Archive: no User-Agent: Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2600.0000 Xref: news.grc.com grc.security.hardware:5764 I am writting this Email because I think that there is a fact that anybody that uses a recent Compaq computer must be aware of. I have discovered that if you use the computer out of the box, Compaq will be able to track all your internet activity. The problem lies wih the 'easy access' keys on the keyboard. The laptop that bought is a 705EA and has got at the top 2 key to access the internet. When you first buy the computer, the Key with an "i" brings you to the Compaq Web site and the key with a loupe design brings you to Compaq own internet search engine. I have tried to reconfigure these keys following the Compaq manual and I was directed to compaq's Web site where i was ask to enter a URL in order to reconfigure my key. I was a bit surprised to have to go to a Web site in order to reconfigure a key that was on my PC. That feeling was conforted by the fact that there are others keys that can be reconfigured on the laptop and you do it directly on the PC, for the other key you do not have to go to the Compaq Web site. But hey that is the game and I did just as suggested: reconfigured my keys on the internet, on Compaq's Web site. After this everything seemed to be working just fine, when I clicked to the 'easy access' keys I was brought to the desired Web site and I have to say that on Internet Explorer 6, no other URL was visible at any time in the 'Web address' field'. My first suspicions were confirmed when I pressed the i key whithout being connected to the internet. At that point the web address thatreconfigured should have been in the URL field of internet explorer. B UT it wasn't in fact the address shown was desktop.presario.net nsumer&ap=b201&c=3C01&lc=040c&ac=&csp= I discovered that in fact I was redirected by Compaq's server. This has of course huge implications because it meant for me that I had been mislead and that instead of reconfiguring my keys, I had reconfigured Compaq's own server with the address I wanted the 'easy access' to go. This also means that each time that I accessed the internet using that key, Compaq new about it and was able to log my internet activity. Fightening when you know that Compaq actualy know my Name, address, credit card number, etc. I phoned the Compad helpline and was told that there was no way to reconfigure the keys otherwise than thought thr Internet so in other words this key is programmed to go to Compaq, Compaq will always redirect you and will always know what site you visit. I then phoned other srvices and told them that I waqnted this setting of my machine as quick as possible and that I would be contacting the press about this. Of course, to date I have no answer, but in the meantime I have discovered that there is a little utility that is not mentionned anywhere or that I have maybe overlookedif it is somewhere written in very little cases. This utility that nobody told me about is in thet 'easy access' directoty and lets you reprogram all the 'easy access' keys. I am concerned because the actual setting of the PC out of the box coould be a device made for Compaq internet tracking of his very own customers. If that is the case, let me tell you that I find this highly disgusting. I think it is time that we have a government authority that check every single software that allows internet tracking, and that aslo check for information of any kind sent from the PC without the user knowledge and consentment. As far as I am concerned, the information in my PC is mine and nobody has the right to take it from me whithout my knowledge. The same applies to my internet activity, I have the rifgt to visit any site I want and nobody should have the right to track and log this. While I am writting this to you a thought is coming to my mind: Hitler would have been very happy if he could have spied as well as we are being spied on now. And he would have even been more happy if he could have tracked the information that people were looking at. It is a matter of time before software users and internet surfer will really have enough of this crap spying and therefore will request that the government really look into this and start acting strongly against companies that uses these highly despisable methods. If we do not act against this, soon will be a time when your local grocery will put a device in your fridge, and one day the guy in that grocery will tell you "hey, why don't you buy the milk in my shop?" For me, the time has come, I demand to the government to put a structure in place and to start hitting the bad people. In the meantime, Compaq users should know how to deactivate the tracking device in the brand new computer that they have bought. I hope that this letter will help someone to get a little bit of his privacy back. Best Regards,	tweak'e (174)
57942	2002-06-28 08:32:00	You could have used the Host file to redirect it yourself but I'm glad you found out how to stop that.	mikebartnz (21)
57943	2002-06-28 10:23:00	There is a Government agency that is interested in this sort of thing, the Privacy Commissioners Office and, possibly the Commerce Commission. Murray P	Murray P (44)
57944	2002-06-28 13:25:00	I haven't had a chance to check, but aparantly the driver for HP multimedia keyboards likes to phone home when you go online.	bmason (508)
57945	2002-06-28 23:25:00	yep i've caught a few doing that. other things included hardrive software & printer drivers (various makes/models/brands). however some are ment to be usefull. ie 'backweb'. its ment to check on upgrades etc. i prefer to do that manually.	tweak'e (174)
57946	2002-06-29 06:06:00	This is half the reason that I build my own systems with non-compaq/intel components etc. Brendon ;/	nzporscheboy (603)
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