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Software That Can See Who You Are
Is Microsoft becoming a PI?
New Scientist Tech reports on new software being explored by Microsoft, software which can analyze your web browsing patterns to identify who you are. Using basic statistics about web browsing patterns among the general population, the software could narrow down the parameters to determine your gender, age and other identifying factors. They say that this information could then be refined to determine your exact identity, although it seems highly unlikely to happen any time soon. Even if it did, the obvious privacy concerns and legal issues will prevent this from going anywhere. Well, should prevent this anyway.
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FFH5
Premium Member
join:2002-03-03
Tavistock NJ

FFH5

Premium Member

I'd bet Google can already do this to a certain extent

I'd be willing to bet that Google, with its huge stash of information from it's various online tools, can already do this to some extent. The EU and the US's FTC are already looking in to what Google is doing with the data it collects. »jurist.law.pitt.edu/pape ··· ards.php
Nanaki (banned)
aka novaflare. pull punches? Na
join:2002-01-24
Akron, OH

Nanaki (banned)

Member

Re: I'd bet Google can already do this to a certain extent

said by FFH5:

I'd be willing to bet that Google, with its huge stash of information from it's various online tools, can already do this to some extent. The EU and the US's FTC are already looking in to what Google is doing with the data it collects. »jurist.law.pitt.edu/pape ··· ards.php
Guess im a exception to that ability then.
recent topics searched on google.
Dragons
dingoes
dog health problems
dog breeds
amd 64 mother boards
ati
nvidia
ircd server
irc services
smithville ohio
and about 50 other different topics. That was just from last night and this morning.

Search profiling fails when a user is searching for dozens of different topics.

Peoples intrests evolve all the time when they are online. new topics come up they search on etc

Scree
In the pipe 5 by 5
join:2001-04-24
Mount Laurel, NJ

Scree

Member

Re: I'd bet Google can already do this to a certain extent

You are classified as a "random soul"! Thoe MOST DANGEROUS!!! hehe

Mixma
@rcn.com

Mixma to Nanaki

Anon

to Nanaki
Dragons
dingoes
dog health problems
dog breeds
amd 64 mother boards
ati
nvidia
ircd server
irc services
smithville ohio
You have a dog or are thinking of buying one, technically competent (read: computer nerd), and you are thirty or over (probably 35-45). All of that form just ten searches - it could be refined much more with a greater sample of searches or if I had any real experience in this.

More 'on the limb' stuff:
You live in Ohio
You have some interest in Austriala (going to visit? Lived there in the past?)
You are probably emplyed in some 'IT' related field

They can tell a huge amount about you just from what you search for.

TOPPSY
@comcast.net

TOPPSY

Anon

Re: I'd bet Google can already do this to a certain extent

funny funny funny === because of some mis-typed searches, we ALLLLL could be arrested as a child=porn seeker,
or terrorist,
or anti-animal
or anti=abortion, or gawwwwwww knows.
I have had countless times, I've clicked onto a URL, only to get detailed porno-shots,,,,,,,,,lord almighty if I had a semi-innocent child watching WITH me!!!!!!!

Camelot One
MVM
join:2001-11-21
Bloomington, IN

Camelot One

MVM

WGA V2.0

It's all part of the next version WGA. They'll use the technology to make sure you paid for your OS, and that you are the one using it. EULA's will be updated to "Per Specific User" licensing rather than by login or machine. And I'm sure they'll achieve a 0% false ID rate before rolling it out to everyone

Anonymous_
Anonymous
Premium Member
join:2004-06-21
127.0.0.1

Anonymous_

Premium Member

Re: WGA V2.0

said by Camelot One:

It's all part of the next version WGA. They'll use the technology to make sure you paid for your OS, and that you are the one using it. EULA's will be updated to "Per Specific User" licensing rather than by login or machine. And I'm sure they'll achieve a 0% false ID rate before rolling it out to everyone
i Got my copy FREEE from Antelope Valley College
(they give them out like candy if your in one of the computer classes)

it's an legit copy of windows 2003 hack over to Win XP pro

sbrook
Mod
join:2001-12-14
Ottawa

1 edit

1 recommendation

sbrook

Mod

And people didn't believe that this would happen?

"Even if it did, the obvious privacy concerns and legal issues will prevent this from going anywhere. Well, should prevent this anyway.. "

Ya think?

You know that saying Government is of the people, for the people, by the people? Guess what ... Government is of the people, for rich industry, by rich industry. The richer the industry the more they control the people.

What we think of is government is either a sham facade for industry or other "special interest groups" and / or groups of glory hunters whose goal is to have their name in the history books. It's very little to do with the good governance of the people.

Titus
Mr Gradenko
join:2004-06-26

Titus

Member

Re: And people didn't believe that this would happen?

And that's the softened version of the truth ...

CableConvert
Premium Member
join:2003-12-05
Atlanta, GA

CableConvert

Premium Member

Well Then...

why develop it if it will be illegal???

RayW
Premium Member
join:2001-09-01
Layton, UT

1 recommendation

RayW

Premium Member

Re: Well Then...

said by CableConvert:

why develop it if it will be illegal???
For use in "helping to prevent all that piracy which is causing Microsoft to go broke"?
Sammer
join:2005-12-22
Canonsburg, PA

Sammer

Member

Microsoft is going broke?

Now that would be real front page news if it were true!

RayW
Premium Member
join:2001-09-01
Layton, UT

RayW

Premium Member

Re: Microsoft is going broke?

said by Sammer:

Now that would be real front page news if it were true!
That seemed to be part of the excuse for the highly intrusive "did you Really Buy this? No, I mean did you Really REALLY Buy this? No, I still do not believe you from last time, did you Really REALLY *REALLY* Buy this?" process Microsoft keeps trying to go through just to get the normal security hole fixes that are sent out all too often.

yawn
@qwest.net

yawn to Sammer

Anon

to Sammer
Microsoft is going broke and the world is coming to an end...

Logan 5
What a long strange trip its been
Premium Member
join:2001-05-25
San Francisco, CA

Logan 5 to CableConvert

Premium Member

to CableConvert
said by CableConvert:

why develop it if it will be illegal???
You'd be surprised how much the words "In the interests of National Security" allow the US Government to sidestep existing law so they can do what they please...

If Microsoft ever decides to pitch this with an "Anti Terrorism" spin you can bet that there will be some politician somewhere who in trying to further his/her own political agenda, will jump all over this as a way to monitor "the bad guys" which actually REALLY means all of us....

Not that anyone is really anonymous on the internet anyway, but if brought in to mainstream use one day, this will be just one more Liberty/Freedom overtly taken away from the people of this country under the guise/false pretense of National Security. There is nothing National or Secure about this, as it is all about spying on the private lives of US citizens....plain and simple.

TwoCpus4me
join:2003-10-16

1 edit

TwoCpus4me

Member

Exactly

This is why end users are going to have to use browser robots to disquise any identifying characteristics.

This robot will simply surf randomly in the background, based on a google or newsfeed seeder, wasting bandwidth so a$$holes trying to track your activities can't get any pattern.

Anyone trying to determine who was at the keyboard will get a load of horse$hit data to analyze, and not be able to tell what surfing was really you, vs. the robot. Presto, reasonable doubt.

dadkins
Can you do Blu?
MVM
join:2003-09-26
Hercules, CA

1 recommendation

dadkins

MVM

Uhm...

Just ask Comcast/AT&T/ or the NSA who I am and what I do online...

I have no shame... I'm a porn freak!

Two tabbed browsers open at any given time... care to guess what is on at least one of the tabs on at least one of the browsers?

You betcha!
Some are even high res!
...and people wonder why I get the TOL VAIOs with insano screens. DUH!

93254336 (banned)
Weapons Of Masturbation
join:2001-10-20

93254336 (banned)

Member

Yet another good reason...

...not to use a Microsoft OS and/or web browser.

- Dan

Logan 5
What a long strange trip its been
Premium Member
join:2001-05-25
San Francisco, CA

Logan 5

Premium Member

Re: Yet another good reason...

said by 93254336:

...not to use a Microsoft OS and/or web browser.

- Dan
Ummmm who said that this technology was exclusive to Microsoft products?

swhx7
Premium Member
join:2006-07-23
Elbonia

1 recommendation

swhx7

Premium Member

Forum thread about this

This was covered in this forum thread: »New software can identify you from your online habits
Kiwi88
Premium Member
join:2003-05-26
Bryant, AR

Kiwi88

Premium Member

Removing the Tinfoil...

Nobody is immune to having themselves spread [Legged] wide on today's collective agencies, or the net. Provided the 'Lock' for a purchases still works, I don't give a Rats. Who the heck believes they are so blasted important, that "They" will come looking....Lets see, a couple of billion users and just 'One' or two thinks they are targeted?

Of course if one falls into the sights of those they don't care to have them reviewed, then they should expect inspection that hardly applies to 98% of general users.

For the most part if one tends to relative obscurity, does not raise the ire of officials, what's the problem.

Anon users
@85.195.123.x

Anon users

Anon

Re: Removing the Tinfoil...

Window Update DID it ALL!!

from serial no. of your CPU to hashes of your registries, programs installed, & maybe your 'undeletable' IE's index.dat... & MAYBE the keys of your CryptAPI...ALL through port 443...

Don't believe??? check the windowupdate log in your windows directory...

There is no need to 'invent' another program, they are doing this all the way
Kiwi88
Premium Member
join:2003-05-26
Bryant, AR

Kiwi88

Premium Member

Re: Removing the Tinfoil...

I agree, but I did take the Tinfoil off

Mercurybird
Premium Member
join:2004-06-24
Hooks, TX

Mercurybird

Premium Member

If I were Microsoft...

If Microsoft were going to do something to pick your locks they would have done it a long time ago. They wrote the OS from the ground up after all. It's way WAY too late to be paranoid now. But then I digress... if Microsoft were up to something nefarious you, we, would have caught them a long time ago.

I for one would like to think that they've developed this capability to easily detect and report child porn and terrorism. But then I'm naive enough to think that this box of electrons can be used for something besides an amoral waste of skull sweat.

But back to my favorite analogy... If the computer is a drop of water, and all the computers together are an ocean, then Microsoft is a submarine that can lay on the bottom of the deepest part of that ocean and listen to the subtlest nuance of the most complex human.

Gates is devoting the attention of his money to aids because it is a world problem. Think about it- child porn and terrorism are world problems. I sure hope he has his head in the right place.

Rob A
Adjusting
Premium Member
join:2005-01-17
Pompton Plains, NJ

Rob A

Premium Member

Kinda creepy

I hope nothing like that ever gets created personally...

POB
Res Firma Mitescere Nescit
Premium Member
join:2003-02-13
Stepford, CA

POB

Premium Member

Site Down

It would be nice if the site was available so I could read the actual article.

FastiBook
join:2003-01-08
Newtown, PA

FastiBook

Member

Microsoft...

Microsoft will stop at nothing to remain relevant, this is just plain wrong. I should sue them for being morons.