Beware! New Yahoo snooping feature: How to opt out

[Liberty Belle]

All--
>
> This is very disturbing. If you belong to any Yahoo! listserve and don't want Yahoo! to track everything you do on the Internet, you can opt out of the new "snooping" feature by following the directions below.
>
>
> > >> 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. Yahoo is recording every website and every group you visit.
> >>
> >> 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 exempted.
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.
>

[Verve]

1. Thank you Liberty Belle!

:yourock:

[Liberty Belle]

8. I wonder if other servers/services are doing this...

If anyone belongs to other services, like MSN, AOL, etc., you might want to check their privacy rules. Something tells me this isn't just Yahoo's doing, since Tenet, the ex-CIA director, spoke last week about a coming crackdown on Internet security--more likely, an administration excuse to spy on everyone who is online.

[Gloria]

2. Thanks!!!!!!

It was easy to follow....

[Placebo]

3. That's very evil of them.

Thanks for telling me!

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

4. Done! Thanks!

[serryjw]

5. thanks.........

[Cobalt Violet]

Thanks! Done.

When did they start doing this?

[chocolateeater]

6. Thank you.

:toast: :yourock:

[GalleryGod]

7. Thank You!

Sons of Bitches!:puke:

[Liberty Belle]

9. Please keep kicking this, all, so everyone will see it. Thanks.

[Journeyman]

10. Danke. . .

[proud_Kucitizen]

11. Another thanks

for letting us know this.

[mia]

12. just opted-out

Thank you!

[KoKo]

13. Many Thanks! They say they collect our "Social Security Numbers" too!

Geeze reading that it sounds like they will share everything about us with "third parties." Doesn't that seem unusual? Sharing our SS numbers with third parties? I didn't give them any info about me when I signed up for their free e-mail. Or, at least nothing that was true except my e-mail address... Why would anyone give them their SS and tell them your assets #???:shrug;

A snip:

# When you register we ask for information such as your name, email address, birth date, gender, zip code, occupation, industry, and personal interests. For some financial products and services we may also ask for your address, Social Security number, and information about your assets. Once you register with Yahoo! and sign in to our services, you are not anonymous to us.

[mattclearing]

16. I think that's for Yahoo finance.

You know, for tax purposes.

[Gyre]

14. Thank you!

[TaleWgnDg]

15. Ya Know, I wouldn't mind so much in participating in all this . . .

stuff if these internet corporations would:

1.) fully inform me of the terms and conditions,
2.) let me decide whether or not I want to consent, and
3.) allow me to opt out before the deal is set and they've tag me with all their stuff . . .

Ya know, like a *normal* business contract between assenting parties! hellooooooooo? Friggin damn internet.

edited to add: They can just go *Cheney* themselves!

[Celeborn Skywalker]

17. Kick! n/t

[Susang]

18. Thanks for the heads up

I followed the instructions, hope it's effective. ;-)

[magellan]

19. I run a couple of Yahoo discussion groups and wasn't aware of this

Just informed my members. Thank you!

[NYC]

20. Thank you.

[faithnotgreed]

21. what about this? yahoo says companies can set or use cookies on

our computer unless we visit each site as listed: is this covered when we opt out of the web beacon or is this a whole other monster?


Opting Out of Ad Networks Using Cookies
If you would like an ad network to not set or use cookies on your computer, you must visit each ad network's web site individually and opt out (if they offer this capability).

Currently, Yahoo! has relationships with the following ad networks (click to visit their site):


24/7 Real Media, Inc.
Advertising.com, Inc.
Atlas DMT, a division of Avenue A, Inc. (atdmt.com, avenuea.com)
Bluestreak, Inc.
Centrport
Cossette Media (adcentriconline.com)
DoubleClick, Inc.
Dynamic Logic (questionmarket.com)
eBoz, Inc. (linkbuddies.com)
EyeBlaster, Inc. (serving-sys.com)
EyeWonder, Inc. (xlontech.net)
FastClick.com, Inc. (adserver.com)
Interpolls Network, Inc.
Insight Express
Klipmart Corporation (kliptracker.com)
Mediaplex, Inc.
NexTag, Inc.
Pennyweb, Inc./Ad Dynamix
Performance Marketing Group
Planning Group International (bridgetrack.com)
Poindexter Systems (ru4.com)
PointRoll, Inc.
QuickFlicks, Inc. (rn11.com)
TruEffect, LLC (adlegend.com)
UniCast Communications (dmpi.net)
ValueClick, Inc.
Video Banner
Zedo, Inc.

[DeepModem Mom]

22. kick

[strategery blunder]

23. Will ad-aware catch this?

The only relationship that I have at Yahoo is that occasionally I peek at $inclair stock...but I'm not a registered user or anything. I have never given them any personally identifiable info, unless they have a cookie that does that for me.:grr:

[mhr]

24. Thanks, Thanks, Thanks!

eom

[roguevalley]

25. THANK YOU! I went and got adaware too and so far I have found

372 things on my brandnew computer. Someone was saying from Lycos that they have a device that you can download free that if spammers try and spam you, it dials against them and occupies their computers. Its on Lycos Europe but I don't know where. I would love to have that if someone out there knows how to find it.

[Piperay]

26. THANKS!

I am going over there and making sure to opt-out.

[Skidmore]

27. Thanks.

I wonder if this is the source of the web dialogue boxes I've suddenly begun getting on my home computer.

[newyawker99]

28. Done!

:thumbsup:

[Shopaholic]

29. Many thanks!

And thank you again! :loveya:

[livinginphotographs]

30. Quick question.

How do they know who has opted out. I tried it when I wasn't logged in, so there's no way that they can identify me by the account I have. So the only answer I can come up with is that they install a cookie on my computer which says not to collect personal information. Personally, I'd rather they not stick shit on my computer in the first place.

Not trying to be picky, but just a thought.

[Sparkly]

31. I'm wondering that, too

I clicked, got the message saying I'd been opted out, and then clicked on "Account Info" and I wasn't signed in. Does this identify the computer itself?

[faithnotgreed]

37. i have a similar cookies question - see my post above

no one responded to it and i would like to understand this as well

[Stephanie]

32. Yahoo recently started requiring a credit card number even for free accts

THAT is a little disturbing. They say it is to prevent children from registering as adults.

[faithnotgreed]

38. yeah - im as likely to give cc information as give paypal my bank acct

information that they keep asking for.... no way.

[kostya]

33. Muchas gracias!

Now, do any of us actually believe we did any good?

[madison2000]

34. thank you!

[lildreamer316]

35. Done! and thanks..

...for bringing this to my attn.;)

[laylah]

36. Done and passed on.

Thank you so much!

Jenn