SPUG: Web Bugs

[Ken McGlothlen]

Doug Beaver <doug at beaver.net> writes:

| Ah.  Although doubleclick would only know what ads you saw if the images
| were served from doubleclick servers or if CNN was sending doubleclick
| information after they parsed their logs.

It's almost always the former.  CNN has no need to host the webbug, because
you're loading their document; they have a record.  It's the aggregators that
are the big privacy problem.

| Me too.  That and protection from email virii/worms.

Amen.  :)

| It has an option under the images tab where you force mozilla to only request
| images from the domain you're currently viewing.  I bet that helps with
| external bugs (i.e., served from doubleclick or akamai) a lot.

Yes, but unfortunately, akamai also carries a lot of actual content-oriented
images.  This is why regex blocking is better than site-wide blocking.

| I wonder if there is an ORBS-like list for web bug servers...

Not exactly.  junkbuster.org doesn't provide much of a block file.  Try a
Google search; quite a few come up with this query:

        http://www.google.com/search?q=junkbuster+blockfile

| Anybody have any other tips or tricks for detecting web bugs?

Stay informed.  That's the main thing.  Investigate suspicious GIFs, and axe
'em.  For example, here's my OmniWeb privacy preferences:

        .*clickability\.com
        .*flycast\.com
        .*yourcompass\.com
        /.*\.247media.com/
        /.*\.a1\.yimg\.com/
        /.*\.adbureau.net/
        /.*\.centrport\.net/
        /.*\.doubleclick\.net/
        /.*\.focalink\.com/
        /.*\.linx\.sk/
        /.*\.mediaplex\.com/
        /.*\.msads\.net/
        /.*\.paypal\.com/images/.*click.*
        /.*avenuea\.com/
        /.*hitbox\.com/
        /.*intelliads\.com/
        /.*linksynergy\.com/
        /.*x10.com/
        /64\.14\.52\..*/
        /[Aa][Dd][Ss]?/
        /abcnews\.footprint\.net/ad/
        /ads\..*\.com/
        /ads\..*\.net/
        /ads\.guardianunlimited\.co\.uk/
        /ads\.telegraph\.co\.uk/
        /adserver/
        /adv/
        /banners/
        /cookie\.tucows\.com/
        /g\.fool\.com/art/free/
        /g\.fool\.com/art/quotes/compaq.gif
        /images\.slashdot\.org/banner/
        /media\.quinstreet\.com/
        /servads\.aip\.org/
        /www\.latimes\.com/ads/
        /www\.salon\.com/Creatives/house_468_ron/
        /www\.threebrain\.com/ban.*\.jpg
        120x60
        336x280
        468x60
        adverts
        nl_ad\.gif
        sponsors
        superstats\.com
        toolbar\.netscape\.com
        zdnet.com/adverts/

Works pretty well.

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