Frank Gaydos on fri 7 dec 01
A widely used, yet virtually undetectable, means of tracking people's =
Internet surfing habits is joining its better-known cousin, the cookie, =
as the subject of several lawsuits and a privacy initiative by the =
government.=20
The technology, often called Web bugs or 1-pixel gifs, is prompting =
further concern that the once-freewheeling Web is becoming more like an =
Orwellian Big Browser.=20
Like cookies, Web bugs are electronic tags that help Web sites and =
advertisers track visitors' whereabouts in cyberspace. But Web bugs are =
invisible on the page and are much smaller, about the size of the period =
at the end of this sentence.=20
A very good program called Ad-ware v 5.62 will scan your computer and =
isolate these programs. I think it is free.
Other programs are Xcleaner, and Spyblocker et al.
The largest company in spyware is Double-click. You can do a fast search =
of your computer files for 'doubleclick' cookies to see if you are =
sharing your surfing/buying habits without your permission. Also, =
another program just to rid or block doubleclick programs is called =
Zeroclick, 1.0.
These and many other programs can be found at zdnet.com=20
For more information on 'web bugs':
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1007-200-2247960.html
Happy and safe computing,
Frank Gaydos
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