Sean,
Yes it is a publishers right to try to find out who, what when and any
other particulars about visitors to thier site. That said, it is also
the visitors right to block the attempts to gather the information. I
refuse to be tracked any more then needed. If you are trying to sell me
some non-computer widget, why do you need to know what my OS of choice
is? Are you going to stop designing your site for use only with the
latest MS browser because I use Mozilla, and what diffrence does it make
if I choose to run Linux instead of windows? I am not an
anti-advertising zealot, and generaly I pay them no mind (for good or
bad). I drink pepsi because I LIKE it, I won't buy an X10 camera
because I do not have a need (I REFUSE to go to thiere web site because
of those annoying popup ads <G>), I MIGHT try a product that I see
advertised because it might be somthing that I would enjoy. I will
never "BE LIKE MIKE" and have no wish to be. One of the reasons I
watch the SuperBowl is for the ads, and I will even go to the company
website for the follow up advertising sometimes.
Techneques such as "cleardot" images and other spyware/webbugs (as long
as they are not disclosed on a site) are part of what is ruining the
internet (at least the "public" corners of it). I don't visit sites
that employ such tactics unless they offer services that I need and
can't get otherwise. Even when I do, I am taking a harder look at using
measures to block the information gathering. I don't always block those
things, but I have a set of filters that I sometimes turn on when I am
feeling put upon.
Received on Tue Apr 30 2002 - 13:34:32 CDT
