Yahoo's Change to Their Privacy Policy - Web Beacons

[Lisa0825]

I found this on another board I visit... I opted out. Sounds too nosy to me!!!


Yahoo is now using something called "Web Beacons" to track Yahoo Group users around the net and see what you're doing and where you are going - similar to cookies.

Take a look at their updated privacy statement:
http://privacy.yahoo.com/privacy

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."

That will bring you to a paragraph entitled "Outside the Yahoo Network." In this section you'll see a little "click here to opt out" link that will let you "opt-out" of their new method of snooping.

Once you have clicked that link, you are opted out. Notice the "Success" message on the top of the next page. Be careful because on that page there is a "Cancel Opt-out" button that, if clicked, will *undo** the opt-out.


Feel free to forward this to other groups.

Yahoo is recording every website and every group you visit.

[slutticus]

1. Thanks for this.

I just opted out

And that "Cancel opt-out" button is sneaky.

Fucking diabolical pricks.

[McKenzie]

2. this is why I never enable cookies unless

they are needed for authentication purposes. I usually switch referrer logging off too.

There was a similar brouhaha about Google at the end of last year. I doubt whether there's anything Big Brother behind it all. More likely the info' is collected for marketing purposes. Still worth knowing; thanks.

[htuttle]

4. There's not really a line between 'marketing' and 'Big Brother' anymore

Case in point: During the last election season, the Bush campaign compiled extensive voter demographics lists of potential Republicans based on what people bought according to marketing databases. They said they got the idea from Visa.

If they do that for their campaign, it stands to reason they'd use it for whatever political purpose they'd find useful.

[McKenzie]

5. I hate to agree but you are right...

information is power. Surveillance and information-gathering happens here just as much as it did in the former Soviet Union. It's just that people can't actually believe it happens in the "free" world because our lifestyle gives the illusion of freedom.

Next thing will be the dangers of pornography on the net and the need to "control" the net in the interest of public "morality" and to stop the use of powerful encryptation utilities such as PGP. I'm probably being partisan here (as a European) though maybe there is still hope. Opera comes bundled with a shitload of good bookmarks, one of which is the PGP home page. There's also a bundled bookmark to Anonymizer.

Sigh, I'm off to make a cup of tea.

[bluedonkey]

3. Thanks

I opted-out!
I will pass it on.

[peacefreak]

6. Done.

Thanks for the heads up.

[Killarney]

7. thanks for this

[kittycat1164]

8. thank you! I never would have seen that! n/t

[Digit]

9. Thanks

Done

[high density]

10. The web beacons have been around for a while

Unfortunately the opt-out page has always had that stupid "cancel" button.

[OneBlueSky]

11. done . . . and thanks . . . n/t

.

[Lisa0825]

12. kick

:kick: for those who missed it.