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Introduction |
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IP Address Analysis |
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Cookies |
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How do Cookies Operate |
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Online Profiling |
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Latest News in the
Cookie Wars |
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Personally Identifying
Information |
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Protect Your Anonymity |
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Conclusion |
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Notes |
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How
ANONYMOUS
is the
INTERNET? |
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Part 1: Introduction
As use of the internet skyrockets,
numerous studies have shown that consumers are becoming increasingly concerned
about their privacy. This concern is fueled by articles in
the news media which report, for example, that the latest -- always complex
and mysterious-sounding -- technological developments will enable websites
to "track [consumers'] every move" online. [1]
And yet most consumers are ignorant of how the web works, and whether this
kind of tracking possible. When you visit a website, how much do
they know about you? Your name? Your address? Your email
address?
This paper will demystify "online tracking"
by explaining:
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the techniques used by website operators to
monitor and track surfers
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the ways the information gathered from tracking
is combined to develop online profiles of consumers, and match those profiles
with real individuals
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and some basic measures to block tracking
and protect anonymity on the internet.
The simple conclusion is that the web does
pose a serious threat to personal privacy, and that consumers should be
aware of just how much information is being gathered about them as they
click from site to site.
This paper was written and mounted on the
web as an assignment in the course LIBR 500 Foundations of Information
Technology, taught by Mary Sue Stevenson at the School of Library,
Archival, and Information Science (SLAIS) at the University of British
Columbia (UBC) from September to December 1999. Feel free to contact
the author Gordon Coleman by email.
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