TeMerc
join:2004-01-22
Phoenix, AZ
| Company Bypasses Cookie-Deleting Consumers
By Antone Gonsalves
Courtesy of TechWeb News
Updated Thursday, March 31, 2005, 5:14 PM EST
United Virtualities is offering online marketers and publishers technology that attempts to undermine the growing trend among consumers to delete cookies planted in their computers.
The New York company on Thursday unveiled what it calls PIE, or persistent identification element, a technology that's uploaded to a browser and restores deleted cookies. In addition, PIE, which can't be easily removed, can also act as a cookie backup, since it contains the same information.
Cookies are small files often uploaded to people's computers as they visit websites run by retailers, entertainment companies, newspapers and other businesses. The text files contain information that's used to track visitors' behavior, or to offer visitors products or services based on information gathered during previous visits, a process called personalization. In addition, cookie-gathered information is often pivotal for advertising campaigns and e-mail marketing.
According to JupiterResearch, a division of Jupitermedia Corp., 58 percent of Internet users have deleted the tiny files, essentially making many consumers anonymous during site visits. In addition, 39 percent of consumers are deleting cookies from their primary computer monthly.
United Virtualities's PIE helps combat this consumer behavior by leveraging a feature in Flash MX called local shared objects. Flash MX is a Macromedia Inc. application for developing multimedia Web content, user interfaces and Web applications. The technology runs on a Flash Player that the company says is deployed on 98 percent of Internet-capable computers.
Full read:»www.internetweek.com/breakingNew···60400749
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Remember............You can NEVER be OVERPROTECTED!!»temerc.com/ |
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B
Premium,MVM
join:2000-10-28
| Sheesh, and I thought that had to be a joke. Because we already had at least one annoying cookie bypass technology in web bugs.
The Macromedia countermeasures are at »www.macromedia.com/support/docum···l#117498
There doesn't seem to be an "Accept for current session only" option. I wonder if setting storage limits at 0 would work or would it cripple use of some Flash sites?
Thanks, TeMerc  .
-- B
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In a realm outside causality and function |
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oldduke
join:2001-06-15
Gulf Breeze, FL
 ·AT&T Southeast
| reply to TeMerc
I presume PIE is real and not an April fools joke. Can we get a tutorial on how to stop this think dead in it's tracks? The vendor's remarks about the "goodness" of this thing are crap. Users delete cookies because they don't want them. Period. Thanks.
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Cogito ergo sum, I think.
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Cogito ergo sum, I think. |
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g3guy
join:2002-08-03
Sedona, AZ
| reply to B
Thanks TeMerc and B. I had gone through some of the Flash settings in the past but never realized the extent of them. I'll check out the consequences of some of the settings today and post if someone doesn't beat me to it. Of course you can always disable Flash except when you really need it. |
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g3guy
join:2002-08-03
Sedona, AZ | reply to TeMerc
Well, I removed the sites already listed and, without going into detail, denied all and everything. All the sites I visited with any browser seem to still do their "Flash" thing without any problems. |
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Owlbet
Ignite the Ice
Premium,MVM
join:2002-09-24
Palmer, AK
clubs:
·MTA Online
| reply to g3guy
said by g3guy :Of course you can always disable Flash except when you really need it. Or keep it totally off your computer like I've chosen to do.
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Rocky is, was, and always will be Dawg E. Dawg. |
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bkgam
Virtus In Ardus
Premium
join:2004-08-04
USA | reply to TeMerc
I shall be a Cookie-Deleting Consumer forever! |
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salzan
Experienced Optimist
Premium
join:2004-01-08
WA State
| reply to TeMerc
I especially like this line:
"Any abuse of this technology is not welcomed by us," Tanembaum said. "We believe people should use this technology responsibly. If people don't want cookies in place, then (their browsers) shouldn't be tagged."
Yeah right! Of course nobody will misuse this technology. 
Unfortunately, this will affect my kid's setup far more than it will me, as most of her favorite sites use flash for their games. So I guess it's time to go on the "Flash Security Learning Curve" to come up with settings that are secure and yet still usable. What a PITA. (again) |
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B
Premium,MVM
join:2000-10-28
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This appears to be a real company that does various kinds of banner ad work.
I swear that the following really appears on their web site, concerning a different web ad product they sell:
Shoskele technology is original. It completely blurs the line between Internet content and targeted messaging, thus being intrusively unobtrusive. Of course, if the site weren't useless written in Flash, I could give you a URL citation!
Macromedia should really try to shut these guys down. This can only give Flash a bad name.
-- B
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In a realm outside causality and function |
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jaykaykay
4 Ever Young
Premium,MVM
join:2000-04-13
Scottsdale, AZ
·Speakeasy
| reply to TeMerc
Ah! I love it. Another something to continue to let the stalker stalk.  Why should I allow anyone or anything to follow me around if I don't want it to and why should there be something such as is described in that article that will allow it to continue. Disgusting what's happening on the Internet these days. I will continue to do whatever I can in my small way to thwart such happenings. I don't like carbohydrates, and making sure that cookies don't clog my system is a way that I control that for my health's sake. Bah humbug to PIE. Even the name isn't healthy! |
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PageTurner
Premium
join:2004-08-16
US | reply to TeMerc
I use Spyware Blaster to disable flash. If I need it for something, it takes a couple of seconds to turn it back on. |
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spooler0
Premium
join:2004-11-17
| reply to Owlbet
said by Owlbet :said by g3guy :Of course you can always disable Flash except when you really need it.
Or keep it totally off your computer like I've chosen to do. Would you post how you are keeping Flash totally off your computer, Owlbet? |
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Martinus
Premium
join:2001-08-06
EU
4 edits | reply to B
said by B :thus being intrusively unobtrusive. Intrusively unobtrusive?
And that's something they brag about? Do they really mean it or are they just using buzz words to get customers?
Edit: Come to think of it. This sentence is either written by a lawyer used to write meaningless stuff or by their flash guy who thought he came with the ultimate immortal sentence - cogito ergo sum, epur si muove, intrusively unobtrusive, etc -.
Anyhow. It doesn't make any sense at all.
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From the GSV "Ethics Gradient" |
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triturus
@abbott.com | How can Spyware Blaster be set up to block flash - is that only with the pro version? Thanks for any advice  |
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spooler0
Premium
join:2004-11-17
| said by triturus:How can Spyware Blaster be set up to block flash - is that only with the pro version? Go to tools/flash killer in Spyware Blaster. Did not know there was a "Pro version" of Spyware Blaster.
Curious if owlbet is doing something more to totally keep Flash off his systems? |
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B
Premium,MVM
join:2000-10-28
| reply to Martinus
said by Martinus :Edit: Come to think of it. This sentence is either written by a lawyer used to write meaningless stuff or by their flash guy who thought he came with the ultimate immortal sentence - cogito ergo sum, epur si muove, intrusively unobtrusive, etc -. Well, yeah, that was my point. But it's not lawyereze. They "mean" every word of it.
Remember, these people are in the BUSINESS of advertising to people who don't want advertising. Their specialty is coming up with really annoying ads even if you've turned off every last scripting function you've got.
Their pitiful bragging here is just like the spammers who postulate, with straight faces, that people REALLY REALLY do want unsolicited ads but don't know it yet.
To spooler0 -- maybe Owlbet just doesn't install Flash? Personally I use both AdBlock and the Flash Click to View extension (later versions known as FlashBlock). But once you've run a particular piece of Flash content, you still need to "worry" about this new issue.
-- B
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In a realm outside causality and function |
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Jim Gurd
Premium
join:2000-07-08
Plymouth, MI
 ·Comcast
1 edit | reply to spooler0
said by triturus:
Curious if owlbet is doing something more to totally keep Flash off his systems?
Flash can be uninstalled. Go to Macromedia's site and download the uninstaller. It works pretty well. Then add macromedia.com to your restricted sites to prevent the ActiveX control from being downloaded again when browsing a flash enabled site. |
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Jim Gurd
Premium
join:2000-07-08
Plymouth, MI
·Comcast
| reply to B
said by B :To spooler0 -- maybe Owlbet just doesn't install Flash? Personally I use both AdBlock and the Flash Click to View extension (later versions known as FlashBlock). But once you've run a particular piece of Flash content, you still need to "worry" about this new issue. -- B Is there a free version of flash click to view for IE or just Firefox? |
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Owlbet
Ignite the Ice
Premium,MVM
join:2002-09-24
Palmer, AK
clubs:
·MTA Online
| reply to spooler0
SpywareBlaster, when the option is checked, blocks versions 4, 5, & 6 and I use WinXP with SP2, and it lets me know via the Information Bar when Active X wants to install software. If I've not initiated the installation, I don't install it, plain & simple. I can guarantee 100% that I don't have Flash in any shape or form on my home computer.
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Rocky is, was, and always will be Dawg E. Dawg. |
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noflash
@sfldmi.ameritech
 from:
jaykaykay
| reply to Jim Gurd
I have been using a tiny standalone utility TurnFlash that works great.
»www.nirsoft.net/utils/tflash2.html
However, AFAIK, it is IE only. |
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