vpoko
Premium
join:2003-07-03
Jamaica Plain, MA | It's just another exploit...
...to patch against. I'm sure the major anti-spyware programs will recognize it soon enough. |
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Thaler
Premium
join:2004-02-02
Encino, CA
| Heh, I May Be a Stupid User...
...but I'm smart enough to add this company's crapware to my "Restricted Sites" list in IE, when and if their software gets used.
This software is at least crapware, if not outright spyware. Where do advertisers get off, thinking everyone is too stupid to use their own crate? |
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DaveNJ
No Fear
join:1999-09-01
New Jersey
 ·Comcast
·Patriot Media
1 edit | false cookie generator
I was thinking what would be funny would be false cookie generator, like you visited site X one million times, and spend 5 billion on things. This way when they read your cookies, it throws off there stats. But you know i was just too stupid to know there was an error on my machine  |
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Viggen93
Premium,VIP
join:2002-04-16
Hamilton, ON
·Cogeco Cable
| both sides of the, erm, cookie?
I can on the other hand see this technology being useful, for example there are some cookies I want to keep, the sad reality is that this technology will, for the most part, be used to ensure you keep the spyware cookies that are force-fed to you. I don't actually think there is much to this really, all that happens is a lookup is done on a database of IP (or possibly MAC addresses) to cookies and if the last incarnatioon of the cookie isn't there, you get it back.
Marketeing people are idiots, they think it's their God given right to hijack any medium that comes along and ram advertising down your throat.
--
Puberty is a phase...10 years of rejection is a lifestyle! |
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NjOlds
Premium
join:2003-12-23
Clifton, NJ
 ·Optimum Voice
·VoicePulse
|  True Statement...
"The user is not proficient enough in technology to know if the cookie is good or bad, or how it works," I think this statement is so true about a big percentage of people and computers in general and that is why they will get away with it. But as AquaBlaze said "I'm smart enough to add this company's crapware to my "Restricted Sites" list in IE". |
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Ahrenl
join:2004-10-26
North Andover, MA
 ·Verizon FIOS
| Blocked in the first place..
I usually block all cookies (accept those I need) in the first place anyway. I set my in-laws computers up the same way, so they are always prompted before any cookies are placed on their computers. Course weather they always just click "Always Accept" or not is up for debate. |
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ScottMo
Premium,MVM
join:2000-12-15
Stony Brook, NY
2 edits | The technology is Flash MX-based. According to one of the linked documents, Macromedia's site (»www.macromedia.com/support/docum···l#117498) gives users the ability to stop downloads of Flash applets.
said by Macromedia regarding storage settings:
Applications that are created using Macromedia Flash may want to store some information on your computer, but the amount they can store is limited to 100 kilobytes unless you agree to allocate additional space. Local storage settings let you specify how much disk space, if any, applications from a particular website can use to store information on your computer. Note that it is the person or company that has created the application you are using that is requesting such access, not Macromedia (unless Macromedia has created the application that wants to save the information). It is the responsibility of the person or company requesting access to make it clear to you why they want access and how they plan to use the information they save. You should be aware of the privacy policy of anyone who is requesting access to your computer.
Set the settings to zero and it will ask each time a website tries to download a Flash applet. Set it to zero & "Never ask again" and it'll deny all Flash downloads.
I've not tried this yet, but I'll give it a go. |
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JPCass
join:2001-01-23
Denver, CO
| reply to NjOlds
Re: True Statement...
I'd agree it's true that a lot of people, if not the majority, don't know how to delete the cookies they don't want, and keep the ones for the sites that they do want. However, that's not an excuse for the ad/spy-ware companies to force cookies on users. |
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ScottMo
Premium,MVM
join:2000-12-15
Stony Brook, NY
| reply to ScottMo
Re: Blocked in the first place..
Macromedia's knowledgebase discussion of blocking local share objects, the feature of Flash MX that United Virtualities is using:
»www.macromedia.com/cfusion/knowl···52697ee8 |
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goalieskates
join:2004-09-12
Knoxville, TN
·Knology
·Comcast
| such contempt for users
should be countered by contempt for the advertisers who use this technology.
In effect they're saying I'm stupid, BUT I'm not stupid enough to give them my money or my time.
Hey, United Virtualities, it's called biting the hand that feeds you. That makes you stupid too. |
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footballdude
Premium
join:2002-08-13
Imperial, MO
| reply to Viggen93
Re: both sides of the, erm, cookie?
said by Viggen93  :Marketeing people are idiots, they think it's their God given right to hijack any medium that comes along and ram advertising down your throat. All of you college kids, pay attention. Marketing/Advertising is full of people that didn't get real degrees or didn't take their education seriously. In ten years, this could be you!!! |
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Grail Knight
Who Dares Wins
Premium
join:2003-05-31
 ·Verizon Online DSL
| reply to goalieskates
Re: such contempt for users
Exactly, make a online list of all vendors that are using this Crapware and deny them the thing they love/need most...Currency
As I usually say let them go to PB & Js for awhile and they will drop the Crapware to try and get their steak back.
--
Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.7.7) Gecko/20050405 Firefox/1.0.3/Thunderbird version 1.0.2 (20050405) |
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sdd75
join:2001-10-14
Maryville, TN
| overaggressive
I don't use anti-spyware software. 1) I typically run UNIX, but that's besides the point. I do have a Windows machine. 2) One of the minor points of amusement when I encounter others' computers is anti-spyware software that finds 1577 offending programs only to find out that 1576 were cookies. Please. Cookies aren't spyware. At worst they log marketing statistics which is intended for the company that placed the cookie in the first place. More often cookies have a less intrusive use. Many sites rely on cookies to relay information between page views. Which product did you want to put in your shopping cart? Do you want your display in english or spanish? Do you want to view dollars, pounds, or euro's? Do you prefer english or metric units? Do you want your web mail displayed in red, white, and blue or black and midnight blue.
That said, it is incredibly arrogant to make a statement that effectively says you are too stupid to know how to use this (meaning anything). A more broad blanket statement that everyone is too stupid to use a computer is even worse, which is effectively what they are doing. The pure offense of such audacity is enough for many people to boycott their product, even if the statement may be true for a few people that think that they can actually have hundreds of spyware programs operating on one computer at once. It's socket would have failed long before that ever happened. I also want to say there is a distinction between ignorance, which is where I classify this misconception, and stupidity, which I genuinely assume very few people are actually stupid unless an individual proves to me otherwise. |
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JPCass
join:2001-01-23
Denver, CO
| reply to goalieskates
Re: such contempt for users
said by goalieskates :should be countered by contempt for the advertisers who use this technology. Yes, but don't forget the "there's one born every minute" principle that allows spam to be viable at incredibly low response rates, by appealing to the least discriminating users. Major advertisers may be worried about their public image, but the bottom feeders certainly don't care and likely won't be affected or influenced. |
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claudeo
join:2000-02-23
Redmond, WA
| camera or microphone
Flash can also allow a sleazebag to spy on you using your camera or microphone. See »casario.blogs.com/mmworld/2004/0···_ad.html where this is mentioned in passing in the description of the control panel that is accessible by right-clicking any Flash object in your browser. You can try it for yourself by navigating to any web site that uses Flash. Most people however would not know that they need to (1) right-click the Flash object and (2) click the security tab identified only by an icon and (3) understand the cryptic wording dialog, or (4) click the "Advanced" button to launch a web page that explains the options. |
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hurleyp
join:2000-06-20
Ottawa, ON
·Rogers Hi-Speed
| reply to NjOlds
Re: True Statement...
LOL! I sure am glad that someone is looking out for me, helping me to understand, and that they will correct my silly mistakes. 
--
"I reject your reality and substitute my own." |
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ForeverZero
join:2005-01-11
Hollywood, FL
| reply to DaveNJ
Re: false cookie generator
said by DaveNJ :I was thinking what would be funny would be false cookie generator, like you visited site X one million times, and spend 5 billion on things. This way when they read your cookies, it throws off there stats. But you know i was just too stupid to know there was an error on my machine I like this idea! When do we start coding? =>
-ForeverZero- |
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exocet_cm
In memory of dadkins
Premium
join:2003-03-23
New Orleans, LA
clubs:  
·Cox HSI
·Suddenlink
 ·Cingular Wireless
·AT&T Southeast
·Charter Pipeline
|  Idiota
HAHAHAHAH!!!
OMG, LOL!!!! A cookie undelete utility?
"The user is not proficient enough in technology to know if the cookie is good or bad, or how it works,"
This guy needs a swift kick to the nuts! DOUCHEBAG!
HAHAHAH!
--
Jesus Rocks!
Future New Orleans Baptist student
Missionary work in Brasil is awesome!!! |
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BatLad
@golden.net
| reply to Grail Knight
Re: such contempt for users
Just remember that it's not just enough to boycott them. You have to let them know that you're boycotting them and why. Otherwise, like the music industry, they'll just see a drop in sales and the marketing department could tell them that they're not using enough crapware in their ad campaign. |
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Beeper
Part Of The Problem
join:2001-09-27
Dayton, OH
clubs: | reply to footballdude
Re: both sides of the, erm, cookie?
If they do their job properly, in 10 years they'll be on the beach. |
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