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A Web Site Mysteriously Knows Who I Am & Details About My Last Visit. Scary!
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<blockquote data-quote="PGB1" data-source="post: 1836406" data-attributes="member: 76746"><p>Thanks Patrick & Macgig for taking time to reply. Those are interesting articles, although scary.</p><p>It is amazing to me how important it is to companies that they be able to track us and how much work they must put into it. </p><p></p><p>The article that Patrick linked, as well as Macgig's list, explain so many things can be used to identify the user it seems hopeless to stop. </p><p>I'd learned about persistent cookies long ago and thought that Safaris' Develop - Empty Cache got rid of them. Wow was I wrong! It seems "Permanent" or "Ever" means "Permanent" and "Ever". </p><p>From reading that article, plus many others, it seems that even if one nukes those persistent cookies, they will come back next time the site is visited. This is one tough cookie to crumble!</p><p></p><p>The result from the Panoptticlick that Macgig linked were unsettling. It gave a list of the unique identifiers that can be used to track this particular computer and I see how every computer can be unique when all the tracked things are added together. The items on the list were ones I never would have thought were being used behind our backs to identify us. Fonts? Display Settings? I guess it all adds together to make us unique. Techno-DNA?</p><p></p><p>I also tried various setting in Safari and re-tested. The results were the same each time. If Apple can't make us private, it seems that no one can.</p><p></p><p>Panopticlick also showed Supercookies in DOM LocalStorage and DOM SessionStorage. If I could find those on the computer, I'd delete them, the assumption being that DOM LocalStorage is not cleared after the browser history is deleted.</p><p></p><p>It would be interesting to take 2 fresh-from-the-factory computers on the same network and try the test. </p><p></p><p></p><p>Next, I'll experiment with some of the privacy extensions (if I can figure out which ones are safe and which ones are trackers in disguise). It will be interesting to return to Panopticlick and test again.</p><p></p><p>For fun, I went to a web site, via a DuckDuckGo search, that sold snow throwers. It had an ad on the side for replacement windows. As an experiment, I clicked on it. When I returned to the snow thrower selling page there were a bunch more window selling ads now specifically mentioning the Detroit area. I'll bet that if they wanted to, they could narrow it down to my particular house. (PS: I'm sticking with my 30 year old shovel. It doesn't track me, just makes me tired!)</p><p></p><p>Next, we can wonder about all the RFID tags we are wearing and near field scan chips that we are carrying in our wallets. And my dog's ID chip...</p><p></p><p>Other than finding it quite rude, I suppose most of this tracking is harmless. If a vendor wants to track me visiting "Egg Plant Recipes" or "Size Large Cotton Pocket Tee Shirt", have fun! But if bad guys track our bank account private stuff- Yikes!</p><p></p><p>I'm on a mission to stop as much of this tracking as possible, maybe more for the education than the privacy- since privacy seems hopeless. </p><p>Step one sounds like it should be a <em>trusted </em>VPN- at least for banking.</p><p></p><p>Ditching all Google stuff, as Jake mentioned earlier, certainly should help. I do have Android, so Google is built into the OS. I'll be sure to (try to) get the phone data and its Google account off this computer- if that is even possible. </p><p></p><p>I have the computer on the router's main network and our phones and televisions on a guest network. I'm curious if somehow by using the phone on our guest WiFi, Google or someone can link it to our real WiFi network. And there is no doubt that the TV tracks the heck out of us. There sure are a lot of obviously targeted ads when I stream <em>Green Acres</em> reruns. </p><p></p><p>It sure is a project protecting what is ours!</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="PGB1, post: 1836406, member: 76746"] Thanks Patrick & Macgig for taking time to reply. Those are interesting articles, although scary. It is amazing to me how important it is to companies that they be able to track us and how much work they must put into it. The article that Patrick linked, as well as Macgig's list, explain so many things can be used to identify the user it seems hopeless to stop. I'd learned about persistent cookies long ago and thought that Safaris' Develop - Empty Cache got rid of them. Wow was I wrong! It seems "Permanent" or "Ever" means "Permanent" and "Ever". From reading that article, plus many others, it seems that even if one nukes those persistent cookies, they will come back next time the site is visited. This is one tough cookie to crumble! The result from the Panoptticlick that Macgig linked were unsettling. It gave a list of the unique identifiers that can be used to track this particular computer and I see how every computer can be unique when all the tracked things are added together. The items on the list were ones I never would have thought were being used behind our backs to identify us. Fonts? Display Settings? I guess it all adds together to make us unique. Techno-DNA? I also tried various setting in Safari and re-tested. The results were the same each time. If Apple can't make us private, it seems that no one can. Panopticlick also showed Supercookies in DOM LocalStorage and DOM SessionStorage. If I could find those on the computer, I'd delete them, the assumption being that DOM LocalStorage is not cleared after the browser history is deleted. It would be interesting to take 2 fresh-from-the-factory computers on the same network and try the test. Next, I'll experiment with some of the privacy extensions (if I can figure out which ones are safe and which ones are trackers in disguise). It will be interesting to return to Panopticlick and test again. For fun, I went to a web site, via a DuckDuckGo search, that sold snow throwers. It had an ad on the side for replacement windows. As an experiment, I clicked on it. When I returned to the snow thrower selling page there were a bunch more window selling ads now specifically mentioning the Detroit area. I'll bet that if they wanted to, they could narrow it down to my particular house. (PS: I'm sticking with my 30 year old shovel. It doesn't track me, just makes me tired!) Next, we can wonder about all the RFID tags we are wearing and near field scan chips that we are carrying in our wallets. And my dog's ID chip... Other than finding it quite rude, I suppose most of this tracking is harmless. If a vendor wants to track me visiting "Egg Plant Recipes" or "Size Large Cotton Pocket Tee Shirt", have fun! But if bad guys track our bank account private stuff- Yikes! I'm on a mission to stop as much of this tracking as possible, maybe more for the education than the privacy- since privacy seems hopeless. Step one sounds like it should be a [I]trusted [/I]VPN- at least for banking. Ditching all Google stuff, as Jake mentioned earlier, certainly should help. I do have Android, so Google is built into the OS. I'll be sure to (try to) get the phone data and its Google account off this computer- if that is even possible. I have the computer on the router's main network and our phones and televisions on a guest network. I'm curious if somehow by using the phone on our guest WiFi, Google or someone can link it to our real WiFi network. And there is no doubt that the TV tracks the heck out of us. There sure are a lot of obviously targeted ads when I stream [I]Green Acres[/I] reruns. It sure is a project protecting what is ours! [/QUOTE]
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