privacy_protection
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+ | ====== Privacy protection ====== | ||
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+ | Have you ever wondered why so many web sites offer various services for " | ||
+ | |||
+ | Are they giving you " | ||
+ | |||
+ | Too much paranoia? Maybe. However, let's try a test. Visit the link below (it will redirect to doubleclick.net; | ||
+ | |||
+ | http:// | ||
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+ | It probably guessed your demographic information and/or interests. How do they know? They track your internet usage by means of an "HTTP cookie", | ||
+ | |||
+ | A cool and informative visualization of the tracking process can be seen here: http:// | ||
+ | |||
+ | ===== Tracking methods ===== | ||
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+ | So, it would seem HTTP cookies (as just seen) are the problem. No, it is (was?) the most widely used/known method. There are various other techniques: | ||
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+ | * Local Shared Objects | ||
+ | * Like standard cookies, but done with Adobe Flash. Check the [[http:// | ||
+ | * Zombie cookies | ||
+ | * Yet another cookie type. This one's particular, though. It will be recreated even if the user has deleted it. Actually, it's not just a single cookie, like the HTTP or flash types. Other storage mechanisms will additionally be used (e.g., "HTML5 Storage", | ||
+ | * Web bugs | ||
+ | * A small or invisible object (like a 1x1 pixel image) is put into a web site or e-mail message which is loaded from a third party. Read the [[http:// | ||
+ | * Browser fingerprinting | ||
+ | * Your browser can send information that makes could make your system uniquely identifiable. See http:// | ||
+ | * XXX | ||
+ | |||
+ | Even if you don't care about online privacy, you should be aware of the fact that some of the above techiques can be used to impersonate you. See, for instance, an article about [[wp> | ||
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+ | So far we have seen some of the hidden risks to your online privacy that don't require you to do something in particular, just that you browse the internet. There are also various activities that are based on the information you explicitly give (though, of course, the methods discussed above still apply): search engines and social networks. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ===== Search engines ===== | ||
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+ | Every time you submit a request to a search engine, they will log it and associate it with you. XXX expand XXX. Alternatives: | ||
+ | |||
+ | ===== Social networks ===== | ||
+ | |||
+ | XXX expand XXX | ||
+ | |||
+ | delete EXIF information | ||
+ | |||
+ | ===== Protect your privacy ===== | ||
+ | |||
+ | So, how to protect your privacy on-line? Some useful suggestions: | ||
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+ | * Install an ad- or script-blocker and/or a filtering web-proxy: [[https:// | ||
+ | * Turn off HTML in your mail reader (for web bugs). | ||
+ | |||
+ | ===== Resources ===== | ||
+ | |||
+ | * [[http:// | ||
+ | |||
+ | $Id: privacy_protection.html, | ||
privacy_protection.txt · Last modified: 2023/07/19 06:08 by hc9