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Jul 30, 2011

Who’s Spying on You Through Your Browser?

Wall Street Journal has amassed a sizeable infographic containing all the ways top websites track your data. While nearly all websites send your data to third-party trackers, some are worse than others. Luckily the main offenders are websites that suck.

The worst website of them all is Dictionary.com, who send your browsing data to 234 different trackers. Other particularly invasive sites include Comcast.net, Photobucket.com and MSN.com.

What do these trackers do, exactly? Some just store your preferences or files or history so that things are easier to use or quicker to load. Others, however, send your information to marketers which they can use to spam your phone, email inbox or IRL mailbox with DEALS AND OFFERS.
 
 

10 comments:

  1. T PaparJuly 30, 2011 at 9:27 AM

    check out the collision addon for firefox.
    http://collusion.toolness.org/

    shows who is tracking you while you are browsing. you will be impressed

    ReplyDelete
  2. GMSoccerPicksJuly 30, 2011 at 9:47 AM

    Thats crazy, and enraging.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Sub Radar (Mike)July 30, 2011 at 9:59 AM

    Wow, great update, this is important info... I had no idea that dictionary.com and photobucket were so invasive. Photobucket being particularly disturbing, since it's a photo site...

    ReplyDelete
  4. MarkJuly 30, 2011 at 10:53 AM

    I thought this was common knowledge. I can get hundreds of spam emails to my hotmail account. Still, there are some places people go where they'd rather people knew they didn't, that's what proxies and ignorance are for.

    ReplyDelete
  5. DylanthulhuJuly 30, 2011 at 11:24 AM

    I agree, the thing about Photobucket is really disturbing considering how many images are hosted from there.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Ken LynchJuly 30, 2011 at 12:14 PM

    I hope I don't bore them to death with the sites I visit. On the other hand, they ARE invading my privacy. So I hope I DO bore them to death. Stalkers.

    ReplyDelete
  7. shiftJuly 30, 2011 at 12:19 PM

    Good to keep in mind...
    Nice blog yo, new follower.

    Check me back at

    wellknew.blogspot.com
    anythingsafe.blogspot.com
    thenfrom.blogspot.com

    if you'd like :D

    ReplyDelete
  8. AnonymousJuly 30, 2011 at 12:28 PM

    What Mark said.

    ReplyDelete
  9. FeurFenixJuly 30, 2011 at 12:36 PM

    If you are concerned about privacy, you should check out the ghostery addon for firefox, chrome and opera.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Major MackJuly 30, 2011 at 12:58 PM

    gotta love it :)

    ReplyDelete