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Thread ID: 18773	2002-05-02 01:04:00	Web bugs	Guest (0)	Press F1

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
46733	2002-05-02 01:04:00	Is anyone worried about web bugs? I've noticed them all over the net on even the most innocent sites (yes this site included) and just wonder what the rest of you think of them. I think, if we are worried about spyware etc, surely web bugs are a problem too? Tho I must admit I dont know enough about them to comment fully - perhaps you can enlighten me. Most of the ones I come accross are from 'doubleclick' - the advertising guys. Can they not just advertise normally? I know we net-surfers are chosing to ignore advertising when we can but it seems the more we try to have a choice about what we see, the more they steal our privacy and choice away.	Guest (0)
46734	2002-05-02 04:00:00	I take it that you mean cookies when you say web bugs? They may be a pain but without things like cookies and advertising the web would not be free	Guest (0)
46735	2002-05-02 05:06:00	no, not cookies. I found this information at www.bugnosis.org: ____________ What exactly is a Web Bug? A Web bug is a graphic on a Web page or in an e-mail message designed to monitor who is reading the page or message. Web bugs are often invisible because they are typically only 1-by-1 pixels in size. In many cases, Web bugs are placed on Web pages by third parties interested in collecting data about visitors to those pages. What information is sent to a server by a Web bug? The IP address of the computer that fetched the Web bug The URL of the page that the Web bug is located on The URL of the Web bug image, which contains the information to be communicated between the Web page visited and the site collecting the data The time the Web bug was viewed The type of browser that fetched the Web bug image A previously set cookie value (Although this doesn't seem like much, these items can be used to spread information between multiple Web sites. Advertising networks can use Web bugs to collect information on what sites a person is visiting to create a personal profile. The personal profile is stored in a database server belonging to the ad network and identified by the browser cookie of the network. The profile determines what banner ad one is shown at a later time. ________________ an example of a web bug that is on this very page: ad.doubleclick.net so yes, they are almost harmless, but still another example of how we are being watched and having info taken about us without us knowing.	Guest (0)
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