Facebook admits to constant "tracking" users web-surfing

[Virus Guy]

"G. Morgan" wrote:

> http://www.ghostery.com/faq

Seeing the hidden connections that a web page is making to third-party
web-metrics, trackers and ad-servers might be interesting - for a while,
but I would think that would get old pretty quickly.

It's far more ergonomic and effective to add stuff like this to your
hosts file:

127.0.0.1 clients1.google.ca
127.0.0.1 ssl.google-analytics.com
127.0.0.1 id.google.ca
127.0.0.1 googlesyndication.com
127.0.0.1 pagead2.googlesyndication.com
127.0.0.1 googleads.g.doubleclick.net
127.0.0.1 googleadsense.ya.com
127.0.0.1 feeds.feedburner.com
127.0.0.1 domains.googlesyndication.com
127.0.0.1 pagead.googlesyndication.com
127.0.0.1 pagead2.googlesyndication.com
127.0.0.1 adservices.google.com
127.0.0.1 video-stats.video.google.com
127.0.0.1 www.google-analytics.com
127.0.0.1 4.afs.googleadservices.com
127.0.0.1 feedads.googleadservices.com
127.0.0.1 imageads.googleadservices.com
127.0.0.1 partner.googleadservices.com
127.0.0.1 www.googleadservices.com
127.0.0.1 apps5.oingo.com
127.0.0.1 www.appliedsemantics.com
127.0.0.1 service.urchin.com

(and thousands more)

To take this on a bit of a tangent - does your typical iSlave device or
smart-phone have a user-accessible HOSTS file or equivalent?

[G. Morgan]

Virus Guy wrote:

>> http://www.ghostery.com/faq
>
>Seeing the hidden connections that a web page is making to third-party
>web-metrics, trackers and ad-servers might be interesting - for a while,
>but I would think that would get old pretty quickly.
>
>It's far more ergonomic and effective to add stuff like this to your
>hosts file:
I do that too.

>To take this on a bit of a tangent - does your typical iSlave device or
>smart-phone have a user-accessible HOSTS file or equivalent?

I've never owned an Apple product, but you can 'root' an Android device
and add a HOSTS file I suppose. Good question.

[G. Morgan]

Virus Guy wrote:

>Seeing the hidden connections that a web page is making to third-party
>web-metrics, trackers and ad-servers might be interesting - for a while,
>but I would think that would get old pretty quickly.

Oh, and that warning pop-up is adjustable in seconds, or invisible.

[Retired]

G. Morgan <G_Morgan@easy.com> wrote in
news:dk6887lee1j41l3t0tv08bu993jh57em3d@Osama-is-dead.net:

> Retired wrote:
>
>>So far I haven't been able to locate any help file that
>>explains exactly how you're supposed to use it.
>
> Wow.
>
> I hope the store will accept you computer return, this ain't your thing.

I don't buy my computers at stores.

> Try a little harder:
> http://www.ghostery.com/about

Been there. Nothing there about what to do with that purple box.

--
-- I'm retired. I was tired yesterday. I'm tired again today --

[Eddie]

Retired wrote...


>
> Been there. Nothing there about what to do with that purple box.


The purple box does nothing - there's a proper icon for the program on Firefox
- try looking for it. There are also options on the Add On/Tools dropdown.

[FromTheRafters]

".Bullwinkle." <.BDTJ@loa..mo> wrote in message
news:4e8420b7@news.x-privat.org...
> Does MS encourage it's partners to be such condescending
> pricks?

Yes!!! They even have seminars on the subject <consults seminar
notes> - umm ... you *******!

[G. Morgan]

Retired wrote:

>Been there. Nothing there about what to do with that purple box.

Here is a screen-shot I made to illustrate:

http://i56.tinypic.com/34jrt.jpg

Hope that helps. Post back if those options are confusing.

-G

[FromTheRafters]

"Virus Guy" <Virus@Guy.com> wrote in message news:4E8461B7.22342BA@Guy.com...
> "G. Morgan" wrote:
>
>> http://www.ghostery.com/faq
>
> Seeing the hidden connections that a web page is making to third-party
> web-metrics, trackers and ad-servers might be interesting - for a while,
> but I would think that would get old pretty quickly.
>
> It's far more ergonomic and effective to add stuff like this to your
> hosts file:
>
> 127.0.0.1 clients1.google.ca
> 127.0.0.1 ssl.google-analytics.com
> 127.0.0.1 id.google.ca
> 127.0.0.1 googlesyndication.com
> 127.0.0.1 pagead2.googlesyndication.com
> 127.0.0.1 googleads.g.doubleclick.net
> 127.0.0.1 googleadsense.ya.com
> 127.0.0.1 feeds.feedburner.com
> 127.0.0.1 domains.googlesyndication.com
> 127.0.0.1 pagead.googlesyndication.com
> 127.0.0.1 pagead2.googlesyndication.com
> 127.0.0.1 adservices.google.com
> 127.0.0.1 video-stats.video.google.com
> 127.0.0.1 www.google-analytics.com
> 127.0.0.1 4.afs.googleadservices.com
> 127.0.0.1 feedads.googleadservices.com
> 127.0.0.1 imageads.googleadservices.com
> 127.0.0.1 partner.googleadservices.com
> 127.0.0.1 www.googleadservices.com
> 127.0.0.1 apps5.oingo.com
> 127.0.0.1 www.appliedsemantics.com
> 127.0.0.1 service.urchin.com
>
> (and thousands more)
>
> To take this on a bit of a tangent - does your typical iSlave device or
> smart-phone have a user-accessible HOSTS file or equivalent?

Yes, at least according to googling for it.

I tried "jailbreak android hosts" and got some hits. It is evidenntly in the old
/etc/hosts

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=514698

[Dustin]

Virus Guy <Virus@Guy.com> wrote in news:4E831C71.CEE38E10@Guy.com:

> http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencete...Facebook-priva
> cy-issues-Social-network-watching-youre-logged-out.html
>
> Now I've really never concerned myself as to how the cookies file
> (usually "cookies.txt" yes?) interacts with your web browser and web
> servers (and you're welcome to explain this interaction) -
>
> But if I read this story correctly, what exactly does Facebook's
> web-server do in terms of reading or accessing your complete
> browsing history that any other web-server can't do? Or doesn't do?

That's not a cookie issue. It's an OLD vulnerability I think? in the css.
Any website can ask your browser for a dump of it's entire history.

> In other words - is this strictly just a facebook phenomena, and if
> so why?

No.




--
I am a sinner
Hold my prayers upto the sun
I am a sinner
Heaven's closed for what I've done.

[Beauregard T. Shagnasty]

Dustin wrote:

> Virus Guy wrote:
>
>> <http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencete...2573/Facebook-
privacy-issues-Social-network-watching-youre-logged-out.html>
>>
>> Now I've really never concerned myself as to how the cookies file
>> (usually "cookies.txt" yes?) interacts with your web browser and web
>> servers (and you're welcome to explain this interaction) -
>>
>> But if I read this story correctly, what exactly does Facebook's
>> web-server do in terms of reading or accessing your complete browsing
>> history that any other web-server can't do? Or doesn't do?
>
> That's not a cookie issue. It's an OLD vulnerability I think? in the
> css. Any website can ask your browser for a dump of it's entire history.

It *is* the cookies. CSS is benign text that controls the display of the
page you are viewing. It can't do anything at all to track you.

>> In other words - is this strictly just a facebook phenomena, and if so
>> why?
>
> No.

In this particular case, it's about Facebook. Most likely other companies
do the same thing, but don't have the opportunity given to Facebook by
millions of other sites. Each time you encounter that "f" icon at a site
where you can click to "Like" the page, Facebook is informed you - yes,
you with the Facebook cookies - visited the site.

That "f" icon is in an <iframe> element and displays content directly
from the Facebook servers. The Facebook page in the <iframe> reads your
cookies and logs you. It is in the JavaScript of the page, and reports to
a server at connect.facebook.net ...

--
-bts
-It's its, not it's