From a Yahoo mailing list:
Yahoo is Tracking Group Members
If you belong to ANY Yahoo Groups - be aware that Yahoo is now
using "Web Beacons" to track every Yahoo Group user. It's similar to
cookies, but allows Yahoo to record every website and every group you
visit, even when you're not connected to Yahoo. Look at their updated
privacy statement at
http://info. yahoo.com/ privacy/us/ yahoo/details. html
About half-way down the page, in the section on *cookies*, you will
see a link that says *WEB BEACONS*.
Click on the phrase "Web Beacons." On the page that opens, on the
left find a box entitled "Opt-Out."
In that section find "opt-out of interest-matched advertising" link
that will let you "opt-out" of their snooping. Click it and then
click the opt-out button on the next page.
Note that Yahoo's invasion of your privacy - and your ability to opt-
out of it - is not user-specific. It is MACHINE specific. That means
you will have to opt-out on every computer (and browser) you use.
Please forward this to your other groups. You might complain, too,
but I'm not sure if anyone is listening. I remember when they signed
all users up to get spam and we had to opt out of that a few years
ago.
Related article:
http://antivirus.about.com/od/spywareandadware/a/yahoobugs.htm Please pass this information to all of your Yahoo groups...
Of course, the advantage of "machine-specific" tagging of beacons is
that you simply click the OPT-OUT button. Don't need to input your
password.
In general, it's a good idea to set your browser security so that
cookies are "only from sites I navigate to". This setting enables you
to use sites that insist on cookies but only accepts cookies from
that site, not its advertisers.
I'm sure it's tempting for big portals to play both ends against the
middle: provide lots of advertising tha generates spam, and then sell
"extra protection" against spam to users who are tired of the
advertising. Didn't AOL try this a few years ago?
Topic: Yahoo is tracking group members (Read 2955 times)