Web Bugs - are you worried?

[Taz]

Here's an interesting story:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4569184.stm

This is what web bugs can find out about you:

http://www.bugnosis.org/faq.html

In summary:

• 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

[XA04]

No, I'm not worried.

[TheAnimus]

warning the US goverment may use cookies against you! This is just another case of USA repressing the rest of the world with big brother like ........................

Remeber you can always not choose to accept the cookie request.

[herbert_goon]

You can script that yourself. How much data can they collect? Thats all standard HTTP header info - you can get it from weblogs (for your own site) tracking cookies just centralise the information.

If you have access to an IIS webserver, just check your logs!

OR...

Host your avatar on your own IIS server and use it for Hexus forums. Check your logs. You will have the same info on everyone who saw your avatar. Identifying them through their ISP is a diffo story though....you don't have their muscle :-)

"Don't panic"

HAPPY NEW YEAR

[Dorza]

No need to be worried if you dont keep any Cookies, history or internet cache like me.

[hitman67]

I keep cookies from Forums and so on then I don't have to log in everytime, but I have a good internet security package (Norton) and nothing of value on this PC anyway so... No, I'm not worried.

[mmh]

this is far from a new discovery, ive been using counters that collect more than that data for a long time. simple scripts.

[RedPutty]

Why on earth would anyone be worried about this.

The only time I worried was when I noticed a company was using a flaw in cookie handling to be able to share its ID cookie across all .co.uk domains (It was setting its domain as co.uk).

[yamangman]

You think a government who imprisons people without trial would have any qualms about tracking WWW users?

[Taz]

Obviously not. Yet their privacy statement contradicts their actions. Yes I know all of that information is easy to collect *but* we're talking about the US government here. Not some warez site! I just hope it was an honest mistake.