how-to block ads
|
|  MrFixit1
join:1999-11-26
Madison, WI
2 edits | Re: Is installing a Coupon Printer safe? Not willing to say if it is safe or not , but one thing makes me wonder .
That page has a nice link ( why ) that should explain their reasoning . And what do we find on clicking the link ?
"The system cannot find the file specified."
Yeah
OK went in naked with IE , now can read the explanation .
Not too fond of sites that do that .
"The Coupon Printer allows us to offer you this coupon. You should know that:
It Is Anonymous
The Coupon Printer does not gather or ask for any personal information about you or your computer.
The Coupon Printer does not report any information about your Internet use. It is only used for coupon printing.
It Is Secure
The Coupon Printer is an industry-standard ActiveX control or Internet Plugin.
The Coupon Printer provides security features that are needed to provide you with a real coupon you can use in a store.
The Coupon Printer provides encryption to make sure that your privacy is protected.
It Is Trusted
The Coupon Printer is provided by Coupons, Inc., the industry leader in secure online coupon promotions.
Coupons, Inc. is our trusted partner, and provides services to many large companies. "
| |
| | | 
dsilvers
@gvtc.com
 from:
EGeezer 
| One hit at Jotti:
File: couponprinter.exe
Status:
INFECTED/MALWARE
MD5: faeaeff7bdf57cc69075d0ca01afc1c9
Packers detected:
-
Bit9 reports: Not analyzed yet (more info)
Scanner results
Scan taken on 28 Mar 2008 00:35:57 (GMT)
A-Squared Found nothing
AntiVir Found nothing
ArcaVir Found nothing
Avast Found nothing
AVG Antivirus Found nothing
BitDefender Found nothing
ClamAV Found nothing
CPsecure Found nothing
Dr.Web Found Adware.Coupons.origin
F-Prot Antivirus Found nothing
F-Secure Anti-Virus Found nothing
Fortinet Found nothing
Kaspersky Anti-Virus Found nothing
NOD32 Found nothing
Norman Virus Control Found nothing
Panda Antivirus Found nothing
Rising Antivirus Found nothing
Sophos Antivirus Found nothing
VirusBuster Found nothing
VBA32 Found nothing
I started cuponpriter.exe sandboxed and got as far as the EULA where it states the keys will not be removed if you uninstall the cupon printer. I have no idea what their keys do. At this point I terminated the .exe with process explorer and cleared the sandbox. I wouldn't install this. | |
| | 
bcastner
Premium,VIP,MVM
join:2002-09-25
Chevy Chase, MD
clubs: 
 ·Verizon Online DSL
1 edit | Re: Is installing a Coupon Printer safe? Thank you dsilvers,
Likely the couponprinter.exe is fine, the site is fine, and the whole deal is fine. (It is the same deal offered on the Bayer site).
But it is not worth it anymore to not ask if it is Safe.
I still, as EGeezer suggested above, think that nobody should be asking anyone to install an Active-X control to print a coupon. I have printed several, but have never had to install an Active-X control to do so.
Bayer, the owners of this product, should know this raises a concern. We have to educate the "push" sides of the malware equation as well as the "pull" side to act responsibly.
I personally think it was a great question to ask, and I personally appreciate the care taken to do so.
Bill Castner
--
============
MS-MVP 2004 - -2008, ASAP Member
Users Helping Users
| |
| | |
dsilvers
@gvtc.com
| Re: Is installing a Coupon Printer safe? Bill,
I got the download in Firefox. I had to allow scrips to get it so evidently they have more than one version. I did not try IE. I absolutely agree that both sides need an education. I got my education when someone said here take one of these its good for you. Flags should go up anytime it says free.
David Silvers | |
| | | | | MGD
Premium,MVM
join:2002-07-31
Fort Lauderdale, FL
| Re: Is installing a Coupon Printer safe? said by EGeezer :....BTW I don't care if they have TrustE and BBB or not - One should not need active-X controls or add-ons to print. If they want to track prints, there are other ways to track requests of print of a page. I don't need excess crap on my system. Great call EGeezer !!
I would not let that application anywhere near a system. It may well be tracking far more than you think, or expect.
In fact, there are several issues with TrustE's certification on this matter, and raises questions about the validity of their endorsements in general.
There is an excellent article by Ben Edelman regarding that "little download", that I highly recommend reading, very informative analysis. »www.benedelman.org/news/031808-1.html
Some of his issues are:
quote:
•The Coupons.com "promo" promises that "The CouponPrinter does not gather or ask for any personal information about ... your computer." Yet my testing indicates that Coupons.com gathers detailed computer-specific information about each computer on which it is installed.
•Coupons.com's privacy policy similarly promises that "The Coupons, Inc. software ... only collect[s] information about what coupons have been printed and redeemed from your computer" -- again, directly at odds with my observation that Coupons.com collects far more information.
•Coupons.com's license agreement discloses this information collection only by admitting that the "software uses anonymous, assigned numbers and/or anonymous information about your computer or device." But the numbers at issue are not anonymous: These numbers identify a specific individual user based on the user's unique and unvarying Windows CD key, motherboard serial number, and hard drive serial number. TRUSTe rule 1.qq defines such information to be pseudonymous ("information that may correspond to a person [such as] machine ID"), while rule 1.i defines anonymous information to exclude all pseudonymous information. Coupons.com thus errs in characterizing these numbers as "anonymous." Moreover, Coupons.com errs in disclosing this data collection practice only in its license agreement; because this practice speaks to user privacy, it belongs in Coupons.com's privacy policy.
Ben also addresses Coupons.com's DMCA litigation against John Stottlemire »www.tenbucks.net/
MGD | |
| 
whizkid3
Premium,MVM
join:2002-02-21
Queens, NY | Most people like to save a dollar.
The question you should ask yourself, is a one dollar discount worth the risk?
The answer is no. | |
| 
sailor
Merry Whatever ..R.I.P. dadkins
Premium
join:2003-10-21
Long Island
| I just sent them an email from their website explaining my concern about the 'coupon printer' and I also included a link to this thread. Thanks for the suggestion and for all the replies. I didn't download it and I will post here any email reply as well as they might make a reply directly here on the thread. | |
| |
sailor
Merry Whatever ..R.I.P. dadkins
Premium
join:2003-10-21
Long Island
3 edits | Re: Is installing a Coupon Printer safe? said by sailor :I just sent them an email from their website explaining my concern about the 'coupon printer' and I also included a link to this thread. Thanks for the suggestion and for all the replies. I didn't download it and I will post here any email reply as well as they might make a reply directly here on the thread. In my email yesterday I also asked if they could send me a coupon via snail mail as I would not download that coupon printer..And nice that I will get more than a $1.00 off coupon. 
Bayer replied today within 24 hours of my sending them an email. So hopefully those in charge of website decisions after receiving the info will remove the coupon printer download.
_________
Thank you for taking the time to contact Bayer HealthCare about
ONE-A-DAY Men's
Health Formula. We appreciate your interest in Bayer HealthCare and
our
products.
In response to your email, we appreciate you taking the time to bring
this
matter to our attention. Please be assured that your comments will be
shared
with our management team. Your feedback is vital to our continuous
improvement
efforts.
Under separate cover, I will be more than happy to send you our $9.00
booklet of
money-saving coupons for most of our Bayer HealthCare products,
including
One-A-Day Vitamins. Please allow 7-10 business days for delivery via
US Mail.
If I may be of further assistance, please feel free to contact me.
Sincerely,
Gabrielle Trujillo
Consumer Advisor
_______ | |
| 
jaykaykay
4 Ever Young
Premium,MVM
join:2000-04-13
Scottsdale, AZ
·Speakeasy
| sailor...you know enough about Internet Security to ask the question in the first place. I would say that if you felt uncomfortable enough about any addition to your system than just printing a coupon, don't, plain and simple. I have printed tons of coupons, but were I asked to download anything to my system to get it, I would pass. Just my opinion, for what it's worth......... | |
|
CouponsInc
@pacbell.net
| Thank you all for expressing your concerns. Coupons, Inc. is the leading provider of secure printable coupons for manufacturers and other coupon issuers. The Coupon Printer that you have to install a) ensures that the barcodes you print are rendered at the proper resolution so they scan properly at checkout and b) allows us to limit the number of each coupon that you can print on a given computer. This limitation is critical to our clients who need to have some control over the number of coupons they distribute, and therefore their total financial liability. Keep in mind that manufacturer coupons involve retailers giving you the discount and manufacturers reimbursing them. This differs from some of the restaurant and retail coupons given as examples above.
The Coupon Printer does not require or collect any personal information nor does it track any of your other web activities. You may be asked to register on a brand website before getting a coupon, but that information is not shared with Coupons, Inc. You can uninstall the software at any time--you'll simply have to reinstall when you print coupons again.
I believe you can reply to me via email through this forum. I will try to respond to individual questions if possible. Also please visit our Coupon Resource Center at www.printcoupons.com for more information.
Jeff Weitzman
Chief Marketing Officer
Coupons, Inc. | |
| | 
AB
Premium
join:2006-04-04
Leesburg, VA
| Re: Is installing a Coupon Printer safe? said by CouponsInc :
Thank you all for expressing your concerns. Coupons, Inc. is the leading provider of secure printable coupons for manufacturers and other coupon issuers. The Coupon Printer that you have to install a) ensures that the barcodes you print are rendered at the proper resolution so they scan properly at checkout and b) allows us to limit the number of each coupon that you can print on a given computer. This limitation is critical to our clients who need to have some control over the number of coupons they distribute, and therefore their total financial liability. Keep in mind that manufacturer coupons involve retailers giving you the discount and manufacturers reimbursing them. This differs from some of the restaurant and retail coupons given as examples above.
The Coupon Printer does not require or collect any personal information nor does it track any of your other web activities. You may be asked to register on a brand website before getting a coupon, but that information is not shared with Coupons, Inc. You can uninstall the software at any time--you'll simply have to reinstall when you print coupons again.
I believe you can reply to me via email through this forum. I will try to respond to individual questions if possible. Also please visit our Coupon Resource Center at www.printcoupons.com for more information.
Jeff Weitzman
Chief Marketing Officer
Coupons, Inc. A marketing officer telling us there's nothing to concern about with the software that company wants you to install.
Knock me over with a feather.
You're concerned with coupon thievery/abuse then, is your position? Fair enough.
You may be 100% right, but pardon me if I don't simply take your word for it.
I do appreciate your taking the time to post here though, regardless.
Thank you for that.
Companies always want to collect information about what transpires between a person's individual computer and their website, yet none of that information is ever deemed 'personal' by the company.
Anytime somebody or some thing watches and logs what I do, I take it personally.
If it's not personal, then go do it with somebody else-- or don't collect it at all. 
Because when you do it with me, it's personal.
And any info you collect can easily be identified with me personally, if anybody wants to take the time to do so.
Which means what companies that do this should really be stating is 'we don't take the time or effort to identify this information with you personally'.
And just so you know-- I'm not identifying this opinion with you personally-- it's my opinion of any company or software that feels it/they need to track me in any way in order to 'enhance my user experience' or 'improve the product' or 'better serve my needs'.
A. Bargle
Privacy Nut and Tin-Foil Hat Wearing Member
DSLRreports.com | |
| | | | 
rawwhide
Zer0
Premium
join:2000-09-03
Zero
clubs:
·AT&T DSL Service
| said by CouponsInc :
The Coupon Printer that you have to install a) ensures that the barcodes you print are rendered at the proper resolution so they scan properly at checkout and b) allows us to limit the number of each coupon that you can print on a given computer. This limitation is critical to our clients who need to have some control over the number of coupons they distribute, and therefore their total financial liability.
Anyone, with any limited knowledge about computing, can bypass your limitation controls. I call BS. I think it is something more than limitation. If you truly are trying to limit the numbers then you are gullible. Anyone, even someone with NO computer smarts, can search and find methods of bypassing your limitations.
--
Tin-Foilers Union of America!!
Tin-Foilers Union Local 101... | |
| | | 
SnowyOne
Premium
join:2003-04-05
Kailua, HI
 ·RoadRunner Cable
 ·Clearwire Wireless
| Re: Is installing a Coupon Printer safe? said by rawwhide :said by CouponsInc :
The Coupon Printer that you have to install a) ensures that the barcodes you print are rendered at the proper resolution so they scan properly at checkout and b) allows us to limit the number of each coupon that you can print on a given computer. This limitation is critical to our clients who need to have some control over the number of coupons they distribute, and therefore their total financial liability.
Anyone, with any limited knowledge about computing, can bypass your limitation controls. I call BS. I think it is something more than limitation. If you truly are trying to limit the numbers then you are gullible. Anyone, even someone with NO computer smarts, can search and find methods of bypassing your limitations. Ha! That's what you think!
Try mask this data Coupons inc. collects to identify
1. The serial number of your hard drive,
2. The bios version of your motherboard,
3. The bios manufacturer of your motherboard,
4. The bios element id,
5. The windows cd key which was entered when windows was first installed on your computer,
6. The windows product id stored in your registry
7. and the windowsnt digitalproductid stored in your registry.
»www.tenbucks.net/index.cfm/2008/···ing-user
Be aware, Coupons inc. will sue to prevent this type of data from being disclosed to it's victims customers.
Shame on Bayer Health Care & Coupons inc's other clients for associating with this type of company.
I guess I could always contact every one of it's clients with a heads up & then see which ones bail & which ones prefer to continue to support this type of activity.
I guess I've got the time to take on another community service.
Memo to self: Coupons inc. | |
| | | | 
EGeezer
Go Bobcats
Premium
join:2002-08-04
Country!
1 edit | Re: Is installing a Coupon Printer safe? Coupons Inc has really got you goin'
Collecting the Windows Activation and serial number codes - A warez purveyor's dream, a bunch of those. | |
| | | |
rawwhide
Zer0
Premium
join:2000-09-03
Zero
clubs:
·AT&T DSL Service
1 edit | said by SnowyOne :Ha! That's what you think! Try mask this data Coupons inc. collects to identify 1. The serial number of your hard drive, 2. The bios version of your motherboard, 3. The bios manufacturer of your motherboard, 4. The bios element id, 5. The windows cd key which was entered when windows was first installed on your computer, 6. The windows product id stored in your registry 7. and the windowsnt digitalproductid stored in your registry. » www.tenbucks.net/index.cfm/2008/···ing-userBe aware, Coupons inc. will sue to prevent this type of data from being disclosed to it's victims customers. Shame on Bayer Health Care & Coupons inc's other clients for associating with this type of company. I guess I could always contact every one of it's clients with a heads up & then see which ones bail & which ones prefer to continue to support this type of activity. I guess I've got the time to take on another community service. Memo to self: Coupons inc. Blank and Blank makes simple work of the collection of information and the printing software installed on a machine. However, I was actually alluding to the fact that once the coupon is printed that copying the coupon is easy and the supposed limitation of distribution of such coupon is gullible on Bayer's part. To think that we security minded folk here would just take that answer and go away, ummm you don't know us very well. 
To JeffW:
Like I said before there is some other motivation(collection of data or the tracking of clients) that has Bayer using this software. I feel you are wanting to actually gather info and track those that download/print the coupons. I think the part about limitation of distributing the coupon is a front to hide the fact that you do want to track customers. There is money in it some where or else you wouldn't do it. There is easier ways to limit a coupon such as expiration dates. Limit the amount of time it is usable, oh wait, thats right, you dont care about actually limiting the use of these coupons.
--
Tin-Foilers Union of America!!
Tin-Foilers Union Local 101... | |
| | | | |
SnowyOne
Premium
join:2003-04-05
Kailua, HI
·RoadRunner Cable
·Clearwire Wireless
| Re: Is installing a Coupon Printer safe? said by rawwhide :I was actually alluding to the fact that once the coupon is printed that copying the coupon is easy and the supposed limitation of distribution of such coupon is gullible on Bayer's part. Aah, I wasn't looking at it that way, good point.
That brings up another potential concern.
Are these coupons identical or are they unique to the person printing them? If they are encoded with a unique identifier under the guise of stopping such cheats, that could be problematic to the whole privacy issue. | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | 
B A
Premium
join:2002-03-03
united state
clubs:
| said by SnowyOne :said by rawwhide :I was actually alluding to the fact that once the coupon is printed that copying the coupon is easy and the supposed limitation of distribution of such coupon is gullible on Bayer's part. Aah, I wasn't looking at it that way, good point. That brings up another potential concern. Are these coupons identical or are they unique to the person printing them? If they are encoded with a unique identifier under the guise of stopping such cheats, that could be problematic to the whole privacy issue. »www.wired.com/politics/onlinerig···/coupons
--
The cleaning and scrubbing will wait till tomorrow, For children grow up, as I've learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down, cobwebs. Dust go to sleep. I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep.
| |
| | | | | | |
rawwhide
Zer0
Premium
join:2000-09-03
Zero
clubs:
·AT&T DSL Service
| Re: Is installing a Coupon Printer safe? said by B A :said by SnowyOne :said by rawwhide :I was actually alluding to the fact that once the coupon is printed that copying the coupon is easy and the supposed limitation of distribution of such coupon is gullible on Bayer's part. Aah, I wasn't looking at it that way, good point. That brings up another potential concern. Are these coupons identical or are they unique to the person printing them? If they are encoded with a unique identifier under the guise of stopping such cheats, that could be problematic to the whole privacy issue. » www.wired.com/politics/onlinerig···/coupons OMG.. I better edit my post some. I told people how to circumvent all the coupon.com mess. Not directly how to but gave them just enough to get them pointed in the right direction.
--
Tin-Foilers Union of America!!
Tin-Foilers Union Local 101... | |
| | | | | |
rawwhide
Zer0
Premium
join:2000-09-03
Zero
clubs:
·AT&T DSL Service
| said by SnowyOne :said by rawwhide :I was actually alluding to the fact that once the coupon is printed that copying the coupon is easy and the supposed limitation of distribution of such coupon is gullible on Bayer's part. Aah, I wasn't looking at it that way, good point. That brings up another potential concern. Are these coupons identical or are they unique to the person printing them? If they are encoded with a unique identifier under the guise of stopping such cheats, that could be problematic to the whole privacy issue. Exactly. I could go into the local library as SnowyOne and print a few coupons. Then go make tons of copies. They will come looking for you.
--
Tin-Foilers Union of America!!
Tin-Foilers Union Local 101... | |
| | | | | | | | | dave
Premium,MVM
join:2000-05-04
not in ohio
·Verizon Online DSL
 ·Verizon FIOS
3 edits | (I assume the anonymous poster really is Jeff Weitzman, though since he's anonymous, there's no way to verify that, nor to email him through the forum. Anyway, I here reply on the basis of that assumption.)
Thanks for coming here to talk with us. Do you have any comments on the deceptive practices of Coupons, Inc, as reported at this web site:
»www.benedelman.org/news/031808-1.html
Worse than collecting obviously personal information is the way your software apparently attempts to disguise its identity on installation. This puts it in the company of various forms of malware, and clearly distinguishes it from any good-faith implementation.
Your claim that the software can be unintalled is contradicted by Edelman's observations that various pieces are left behind, for example in the Windows directory.
For the record, Edelman is generally considered to be a reliable reporter.
--dave (Microsoft MVP, Security) | |
| | |
AB
Premium
join:2006-04-04
Leesburg, VA
| Re: Is installing a Coupon Printer safe? I take the information reported there to be not very flattering towards TRUSTe's practices, either.
Which is worse-- the spyware vendor, or the watchdog organization that claims the spyware vendor's software is on the up-and-up?
»www.truste.org/
quote:
About TRUSTe
TRUSTe helps consumers and businesses identify trustworthy online organizations through its Web Privacy Seal, Email Privacy Seal and Trusted Download Programs. . . .
Apparently we can trust Coupons, Inc. to install spyware.
So I guess that's what they mean when they refer to 'Trusted Download Programs'.
Lovely. | |
| | 
salzan
Experienced Optimist
Premium
join:2004-01-08
WA State
| said by CouponsInc :
The Coupon Printer that you have to install a) ensures that the barcodes you print are rendered at the proper resolution so they scan properly at checkout
I'm sorry but I regularly print barcodes for Fedex, UPS, USPS and my own business packaging. I've never (yes, never) had an issue with barcode resolution. They remain machine readable even at various scaling and resolutions. | |
| bedelman
Premium
join:2004-06-20
Cambridge, MA
| Howdy folks. I'm the author of some research about Coupons.com's practices, so I thought I'd chime in, in case I can be helpful. I read the discussion above, and it seems like everyone is getting the information they seek -- or at least reaching a reasonable conclusion. If there's anything I can do to clarify, just ask.
In short: I stand behind the facts in my two articles about Coupons.com -- last year and just last month. I believe I have appropriate proof -- both posted on my site and within my files -- to confirm the accuracy of my allegations. Jeff's message above ("does not require or collect any personal information...") does not change my view: Read his message carefully, and you'll notice that his statements are actually entirely consistent with the troubling practices I identified, including intentionally-deceptive filenames and registry keys, incomplete uninstall, retrieving sensitive computer-specific informatoin, etc. | |
| 
Doctor Four
My other vehicle is a TARDIS
Premium
join:2000-09-05
Dallas, TX
·AT&T U-Verse
1 edit | It sounds dodgy enough to me to steer clear of it. Spyware
isn't worth the $1.00 savings on a name brand that you
could likely equally save by buying a store or generic
brand.
Edit: (OT) in posting this, I got the following fortune - it
matches my avatar and is even from the same main character
(the one played by Tom Baker):
quote:
The very powerful and the very stupid have one thing in common. Instead of
altering their views to fit the facts, they alter the facts to fit their
views ... which can be very uncomfortable if you happen to be one of the
facts that needs altering.
-- Doctor Who, "Face of Evil"
--
"The trouble with computers, of course, is that they are very sophisticated idiots." - Doctor Who (from Robot)
| |
|
JeffW
@pacbell.net
| Sorry, not totally familiar with the forum software. If you can't reply via email to this post, you can contact me via our website www.couponsinc.com.
Mr. Edelman was incorrect about our collection of information like the Windows product key. We use a very standard method of anonymous identification for the computer hardware where specific local information never leaves the machine. If you read Edelman's August post on our software, he *recommended* we use this method.
I'd be happy to continue the discussion of our software via email if you have real concerns or recommendations. | |
| |
SnowyOne
Premium
join:2003-04-05
Kailua, HI
·RoadRunner Cable
·Clearwire Wireless
| Re: Is installing a Coupon Printer safe? said by JeffW :I'd be happy to continue the discussion of our software via email if you have real concerns or recommendations. Following that to it's logical conclusion, who needs this site or any other public forum for that matter?
Wouldn't that be counter productive to the purpose of a public forum? If there's nothing to hide there's no valid reason to cloak a discussion with such a request. | |
| | bedelman
Premium
join:2004-06-20
Cambridge, MA
1 edit | promising not to track, then tracking anyway I emphatically disagree with the suggestion that Coupons.com is doing what I "recommend."
My August post said "Coupons.com could label its files and registry keys appropriately -- treating its users with dignity and respect, rather than assuming users will try to cheat". Coupons.com still is not doing that; files and registry keys continue to bear deceptive names.
I continued: "Alternatively, Coupons.com could use recognize computers on which it has previously been installed, without resorting to deceptive files or registry entries." Tongue in cheek, I went on to point out that notorious spyware vendor Direct Revenue (subsequently the target of NYAG and FTC litigation) used exactly that method -- indicating that it's hardly a method to celebrate. Crucially, nowhere did I suggest that Coupons.com should use such methods when its public statements promise exactly the contrary ("The Coupon Printer does not gather or ask for any personal information about ... your computer"), when its privacy policy is silent on the subject, and when its license agreement says only that anonymous not pseudonymous information is being collected.
If Coupons.com fairly and frankly told users that it is checking sensitive computer-specific data (hard drive serial number, Windows product ID, etc.), and tracking users and repeat installs on that basis, that would be one thing. But Coupons.com exactly promises not to do this -- then does it anyway. (See my March article, subheading "Additional Violations".) I can't think of anyone who supports that tactic, not to mention "recommend[ing]" it. | |
| JeffW
join:2008-04-06
Mountain View, CA | OK, I'm registered now, so hopefully you can email me if you want. | |
| JeffW
join:2008-04-06
Mountain View, CA | Fair point. I'll respond to the extent I can be constructive. | |
| |
EGeezer
Go Bobcats
Premium
join:2002-08-04
Country!
 ·Callcentric
·RoadRunner Cable
·AT&T CallVantage
4 edits | Re: Is installing a Coupon Printer safe? I have in the past, and still do advise my associates against non-critical applications that collect internal information from a system, particularly the license and activation keys to operating systems and their MACs, BIOS levels and HDD information. Site and enterprise keys are particularly sensitive and should be considered proprietary information by the holders. As for the encoding, I believe that if one has the algorithms to encode, one can decode.
I'd also question the value of the program to the product providers, since it appears to me that controls are placed based on "fingerprinting" the PC and OS. This would render common use/public access computers in libraries, hotels, universities, group homes, senior citizen and community centers relatively useless for printing, since there could be multiple requests for the same items from the same PC by different legitimate requesters.
So, the "coupon printer" should be relatively useless for common use/public PCs, since several users may request the same items at different times. If these PCs are not limited, I would conclude that the system fingerprinting information is being unnecessarily gathered or is being collected for other purposes.
Again, I'd like to see the issues Ben points out resolved, not just discussed.
--
Mayors of New York come from nowhere and go nowhere.
Wallace Sayre (apparently, so do governors... ) | |
| JeffW
join:2008-04-06
Mountain View, CA
| Ben, our privacy policy states:
"Automatically Collected" Information: When you use the Sites or open one of our HTML emails, we automatically record certain data using technology, including "clear gifs" or "web beacons," cookies (discussed above), IP addresses, unique "device IDs" (similar to IP addresses), and log files."
The information you are referring to; serial numbers etc., is *not* collected by Coupons, Inc. A unique ID, that cannot be reconstituted into any of the original information (one-way hash), is sent. An ID that is unique to a given hardware device, without revealing anything about that device or the individuals using it. I think that is a "unique device ID" clearly contemplated by the Privacy Policy.
As always, we welcome your input on how we can improve the software or our Privacy Policy, as long as we can accomplish the print controls necessary for our business. | |
| | dave
Premium,MVM
join:2000-05-04
not in ohio
·Verizon Online DSL
·Verizon FIOS
2 edits | Re: Is installing a Coupon Printer safe? I'm interested hearing the rationale for giving files and registry keys deceptive names, and for attempting to hide them in places that will make them look like part of Windows.
That behaviour is, in itself, sufficient for me to advise people to stay away from this software.
--dave (Microsoft MVP, Security) | |
|
B A
Premium
join:2002-03-03
united state
clubs:
| The Bricks coupons are safe. It is done that way to keep you from printing more than two coupons. It will also give you the option if it doesn't install to have the coupons mailed to you.
However, if you have clicked and already tried to get the coupon and couldn't, they will say you have exceeded the amount your allowed to print and won't let you have one. It does register your IP address. You won't get spam or other things from it. It tracks you to limit how many you can print. There is a number on the coupon that is only on your coupon, and this is to limit forgery and people counterfeiting coupons. Yes, it does happen and sometimes in very large dollar amounts. Lately there was a huge one on Pampers.
I guess it would depend on where your concerns lie as to whether or not you wish to install it. Most major corporations utilize this tool, including Kroger.
However, let me advise to you you might want to check to see if you store will even accept IP coupons (many DON'T because of the counterfeiting) before you even consider it. And as I said BRICKS will mail them to you.
»www.ktsm.com/news/local/6390407.html
As far as the security, I haven't ever had a problem with it. But I also don't use it now because our local stores don't accept them anymore.
--
The cleaning and scrubbing will wait till tomorrow, For children grow up, as I've learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down, cobwebs. Dust go to sleep. I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep.
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| MrFixit1
join:1999-11-26
Madison, WI
| For anyone who has not yet checked it out ,
»www.coupons.com/corp/source/u_pr···licy.asp
is their current privacy policy.
An interesting read if you read it with just a normal amount of paranoia .
Really love the part about log files .
Especially since I see no definition of what a " log file " covers .
Let's see , just how much information could I gather from a users log files ?
Isn't that what SIW starts with ?
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sailor
Merry Whatever ..R.I.P. dadkins
Premium
join:2003-10-21
Long Island
| As I previously posted, Bayer emailed me and told me they would send via first class mail their $9.00 coupon book. The book did arrive and they also included a coupon for (1) free Multi-Vitamin and they included in the envelope a letter thanking me for bringing to their attention my concern over downloading ( coupon printer ) something in order to print the $1.00 off printable coupon on their site that day.
So my thanks to Bayer for following up on sending me coupons and my thanks to those experts here in the Security Forum as I am glad I came here to ask about " is installing a coupon printer safe" when I first encountered it at Bayer's site in my reading about their Men's Health One-A-Day Vitamins. | |
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flyboy
@rr.com
| My mother recently downloaded couponprinter. Then she realized she didn't know if it was safe and so didn't install it.
I noticed that under properties the original file name is listed as suf70_launch.exe.
I googled it and there weren't a lot of matches, and they mostly consisted of warez sites.
Obviously, she isn't going to install the program.
My question:
Is this the same program you're discussing? The size of what my mother downloaded is 1,215k.
Thanks! | |
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Is installing a Coupon Printer safe?
