is this true?

[dethfire]

in my privacy unit my teacher said this

"Watch out for web bugs, transparent gifs on webpages can track your surfing habits."

is this right? i don't understand

[Maelstrom]

Just did a quick search on google. When they say transparent gifs they are refering to 1x1 pixel gif. And yes it is true I suppose...

http://www.usatoday.com/life/cyber/tech/cth582.htm
http://www.webveil.com/webbug1a.html

A quick read, this basically mean that the page you visit calls a gif from a stat tracking company. I will let you read the rest

[Ian Glass]

Isn't that basicly what HitBox is?

[godsfshrmn]

This is true. I use this method on my websites for tracking users. Here is some of the things you can gather:
IP
browser
screen size
screen colors
javascript enabled?
referring url
operating system
and many other things. Basically it tells the website owner who, what, when, and where about the visitor. Most of the time, this information is used for the better of the website. Like a very poplular link that is the bottom of someone's menu. The webmaster would move it, making the user's experience better.

[platinum]

Yeah... thats right, but I who really cares (apart from the site owners stats for making thier site better) if your using a res. of 800x600, have java enabled and you are english-speaking... wow they basically could hunt you down with that sort of info

[Ian Glass]

Originally posted by platinum
... your using a res. of 800x600, have java enabled and you are english-speaking...

Wow, that's spooky. That sounds exactly like me!

[mjames]

Yes, as you surf the web, your data will be recorded by various trackers and programs, but 99.9% of the time, you won't be personally identified through tracking. Your data (browser, OS, ISP, etc.) will just contribute to a large group of data used by webmasters like many at SitePoint to see user trends.

[malabar]

holy shiznet!
*becomes suspicious of everybody*

[iTec]

dunt dunt... dunt dunt. dunt dunt there out to get you... quick lock your doors and throw away the keys, the transparent gif is going to come and stalk you day and night!

[jeremyk]

Oh crud...

And all this time I was looking out for the visible gifs. I didn't even think about the transparent ones lurking in the shadows!