Do Yahoo Spy On You?

Yahoo! Do Men Win? | 10.02.2004 18:20 | Cambridge | London

Below is public notification about a new Yahoogroups feature that you may wish to do something about.

Yahoo is now using something called, "Web Beacons" to track
Yahoo Group users around the Net and see what you're doing
and where you are going - similar to cookies.

Have a look at their updated privacy statement at:

http://privacy.yahoo.com/privacy/us/pixels/details.html

About half-way down the page, in the section "Outside the Yahoo!
Network", you'll see a little blue-colored, "click here" link that
will let you "opt out" of this new feature.

Once you have clicked that link, you are opted out. Notice the
"Success" message at the top the next page. Be careful here...,
because on that page, there's a "Cancel Opt-out" button, just
below it, that if clicked, will *undo* the opt-out. Feel free
to forward this to other groups.

Yahoo! Do Men Win?

Comments

Hide the following 6 comments

Firewall

11.02.2004 19:52

The system will run on some kind of pinging mechanism or port scan. A portscan can find out what programs you are running, what websites you are on and even your internet service provider. The agreement is basically giving Yahoo the right to do this (otherwise its illegal). If you have a firewall in place, theirs no problemo, but if you don't have one i suggest you download one for free from www.download.com. Sygate or Zonealarm are the best freebie firewalls.

Tony

Not just yahoo groups users

12.02.2004 01:11

Looking at the yahoo privacy statement linked above, they seem to be collecting data from everyone who visits certain websites, including but not limited to yahoo sites.

Barney

Portscan? I think that's a little alarmist.

12.02.2004 01:17

According to the yahoo website, the mechanism is agreeing with the operaters of certain websites to add a tiny image to their sites, stored on yahoo's server. Anyone that visits the site will therefore download the image from yahoo, and yahoo is keeping data on who does this. I'd be inclined to beleive that, unless there's a reason not too.

Barney

Simple really

12.02.2004 10:48

They get there adverts from 'doubleclick' this site provides adverts for thousands of sites. Yahoo just get the information from them. (Guess). There is no legal way or correct programming way to provide cross site data collecting. They definately won't do port scanning or pinging as this will more than likely void any terms and conditions they hold with their own ISP.

So all the ad.doubleclick.*** code hidden in the site or not hidden as the case may be will be what is used to track people.

fredrico
mail e-mail: musteatvegan@yahoo.co.uk

Is it hugely important

12.02.2004 16:12

I don't actuly care hugely if yahoo knows that im looking at some site that has some advert in it. Its not actuly gonna have any effect on anyone, is it?

Obviously you dont want people looking at email and blaa you send arround some of the time, but the police have the power to get stuff like that anyway, so some bit of stuff from yahoo in the scheme of things is pilferingly small, who cares

ed
mail e-mail: ed@widee.eu.org
Homepage: http://www.wide.eu.org

Jumping Conclusions

12.02.2004 19:36

Ok, i actually bothered to click on the link this time. I assumed Yahoo were back to the same old tricks again. Anyway, here's some kick ass ip ranges for people to play with:

French Department of Defense:193.252.72.142-193.252.72.142
French Department of Defense:217.167.182.1-217.167.182.255
popupad.net:66.230.219.137-66.230.219.137
Net-Send Spammer - Energis DSL Customer:81.77.139.90-81.77.139.90
Net-Send Spammer - Energis DSL Customer:81.79.28.235-81.79.28.235
bannerfarm.ace.advertising:209.255.6.77-209.255.6.77
US Customs:206.241.30.0-206.241.31.255

These ips may have changed now. I don't suggest that you use these ips to piss people off. ;)

Legal disclaimer - ips should be used in a fashion such as trainspotting. You write down the numbers for fun. NOT TO HACK COMPUTERS

Tony