Websites contacting you

[Former MemberParticipant @formermember19781]

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[Former MemberParticipant @formermember19781]

[This posting has been removed]

[Ketan SwaliParticipant @ketanswali79440]

Bill,

I am glad you have the answer you were seeking.

I still believe that the use of such third party software to send clear targeted email to your wife is working in the grey area, but the definition seems to be bending I guess.

Ketan at ARC

[Enough!Participant @enough]

Posted by Bill Chugg on 08/03/2020 21:17:31:

We run third party software that allows us to follow up with potential customers. Nothing is amiss.

It costs us each time though someone clicks a link and we also pay for the emails that are send so ideally we don’t want people not interested in our products clicking links if possible.

Does this actually get you any closer to the answer to the original question. That is, how they (or a third party) knew where to send the email to in the absence of your wife providing that information?

Or am I missing something?

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Posted by Bill Chugg on 08/03/2020 15:06:20:

Thanks prompt reply

So how does the cookie know your e-mail address ?

Puzzled, as she has visited may websites in the 15 years she has had the computer, and this is the first time it has happened ?

Bill

Was she signed into Google?

Neil

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Posted by Ketan Swali on 08/03/2020 19:45:17:

When you are in the pub, google sees your geo location, along with other people you hang around with.

After I shop in the local Co-op Google regularly asks me to review the tanning salon next door.

Neil

[Ketan SwaliParticipant @ketanswali79440]

Neil,

That is your specific relationship with google and based on your geo location.

Strictly speaking, they cannot release your email address to the third party in question. If they did, that would open up a serious can of worms for them.

the third party software has somehow probed the website visitors email address. How legal that is or how they bent the rules is difficult to say. Bandersnatch, I don’t know what the answer is, but it is definitely grey.

Ketan at ARC

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by Bandersnatch on 08/03/2020 21:56:13:

.
Does this actually get you any closer to the answer to the original question. That is, how they (or a third party) knew where to send the email to in the absence of your wife providing that information?

Or am I missing something?

.

If my understanding is correct [albeit far from complete] … They didn’t actually send an eMail; they placed a targeted advertisement at the top of the eMail list.

The difference is subtle, but presumably legitimises the behaviour … Mrs Chugg has not disclosed personal data, and nor have they captured it … The advertisement has targeted a machine, and machines don’t [yet] have the same rights as humans.

MichaelG.

[Frances IoMParticipant @francesiom58905]

since google is blocked on the machine I do my limited browsing I can’t check but if someone can try Jason’s approach and just check what code is actually running – is it possible to do a mailto: in an iframe (ie invisible to the user) if so then the company who has paid Google to buy the key word will receive a email from the punter and thus their automated bot merely emails in reply and the punter becomes the sucker and the tight privacy regulations no longer apply as the punter/sucker has originated the connection and it become legitimate to send as many emails as they wish.

Edited By Frances IoM on 08/03/2020 22:52:16

[Mike PooleParticipant @mikepoole82104]

Amazon were exposed a few days ago for the data they collect from their Ring doorbell devices, the detail they collect was staggering. We are filling our homes with connected devices and they all will have the capability to spy on us, our computers will often have a camera looking at us which is good for apps like Skype but how do you know when it is not monitoring you? My smart tv also has a camera watching for gesture control except I found it a nuisance and the camera is now not viewing me. Viewing my home network is scary just how many things it connects to. The moment you get connected to the internet your privacy goes out the window. I feel reasonably immune to advertising but I do find an increasingly large part of my time is focused on the YouTube skip button.

Mike

[Enough!Participant @enough]

Posted by Michael Gilligan on 08/03/2020 22:42:35:

If my understanding is correct [albeit far from complete] … They didn’t actually send an eMail; they placed a targeted advertisement at the top of the eMail list.

So (again if I understand this correctly) they infiltrate the user's machine and insinuate their message directly in his/her email client? That's abusive and inexcusable, plain and simple.

(It should be possible to tell if the email is actually sent in the normal fashion by examination of the email headers).

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by Bandersnatch on 09/03/2020 00:01:34:

[…]

(It should be possible to tell if the email is actually sent in the normal fashion by examination of the email headers).

.

Please see Jason’s post of 08/03/2020 20:53:52

MichaelG.

[Former MemberParticipant @formermember19781]

[This posting has been removed]

[Frances IoMParticipant @francesiom58905]

looks as tho Google has found a way to avoid the privacy regulations which many felt were too lax already but I’m still confused re email connection or are people still ignorant of the real nature of gmail ?

[Russell EberhardtParticipant @russelleberhardt48058]

It's worthwhile deleting all cookies occasionally. It is a bit of a pain as you will have to log in to various sites again but not too bad done say once a month. If you are particularly concerned you can tell your browser to delete cookies each time you switch off but that can become a bit of a pain.

Russell

[not done it yetParticipant @notdoneityet]

Perhaps it it’s about time a million of us clubbed together and looked at this chicken house advert – day after day for a week or two should do the trick if they are paying for this privacy intrusion.🙂

I once threatened to get up to 30 friends (or enough to swamp all their lines) to ring the free phone number, of a nuisance cold caller, at the same time and leave the calls connected for half an hour or so. I had done that on our line already the previous day but they did not get the message. The nuisance cold calls ceased, at that point.

[SamsarandaParticipant @samsaranda]

If you disable cookies on your browser you will find that you can no longer log in to this website although you can still view it but not participate, don’t ask how I know.
Dave W

[Steve Skelton 1Participant @steveskelton1]

Interesting thing is that if I try to visit the site via Google and a VPN it comes up with "http://www.googleadservices.com refused to connect.".

This indicates it is all to do with the Google search engine as when searching using Firefox through a VPN I can get straight through to the website without any problem and no e-mail received.

Moral of the story – stop using Google and try Firefox or other search engine. It is claimed that DuckDuckGo is the safest search engine that does not store any personal analytics.

It has certainly got me thinking!!

Steve

[Frances IoMParticipant @francesiom58905]

The main problem is that Google’s whole business model is now based on what many see as privacy invasion or what they see as merely profiling customers – we can see another example of such profiling in the argument between the labour party and Trevor Philips

Edited By Frances IoM on 09/03/2020 09:35:43

[SillyOldDufferModerator @sillyoldduffer]

On a lighter note I see the internet domain name chickencoopsdirect.com is registered with NameCheap, Inc. of Phoenix, Arizona. The company has a COO.

Can't be coincidence. Don't trust hens myself, the documentary 'Chicken Run' proved they're clever. ("This ain't no chick flick'.) And hens love grassy knolls. Why was that covered up by the CIA?

It's a conspiracy. I shall strike back by having eggs for breakfast.

Dave

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

That’s quite un œuf , Dave !!

MichaelG.

[Peter G. ShawParticipant @peterg-shaw75338]

I use Firefox, and it is set to automatically delete on closure as much as is reasonably possible, including all cookies. It doesn't cause me much bother at all even though on some sites I have to re-enter personal data.

I also use DuckDuckGo and have found that there is a snag in that it appears to be American based and defaults to America. Yes it is possible to select UK on opening but it is a bit of a pain. Also, I find myself having to use Google at time since DDG doesn't seem to work as well as Google.

There is another search engine which has a permanent UK option – StartpageUK. I have tried it occasionally, but haven't persevered. Don't know why.

Peter G. Shaw

[SillyOldDufferModerator @sillyoldduffer]

Posted by Peter G. Shaw on 09/03/2020 11:08:15:

…

I also use DuckDuckGo and have found that there is a snag in that it appears to be American based and defaults to America. Yes it is possible to select UK on opening but it is a bit of a pain. Also, I find myself having to use Google at time since DDG doesn't seem to work as well as Google.

…

The way DuckduckGo manages regions isn't obvious! It's done at their end, not a Browser setting.

Try clicking on DuckDuckGo Settings

Region is the first choice, change it, then scroll down to the bottom of the page where there's a 'Save' button.

Agree DDG isn't quite as good as Google, though you may find it's better when the Region is 'United Kingdom'. I stay with DDG most of the time because it's much more private than google. When using google, I connect via a 'New Private Window' in hope of limiting privacy leaks. Private Windows don't save History or Cookies making it harder for Google to follow me. Slows 'em down rather than a perfect block, but it all helps!

Dave

Edited By SillyOldDuffer on 09/03/2020 11:30:04

[Enough!Participant @enough]

Posted by Michael Gilligan on 09/03/2020 05:51:21:

Posted by Bandersnatch on 09/03/2020 00:01:34:

[…]

(It should be possible to tell if the email is actually sent in the normal fashion by examination of the email headers)..

Please see Jason’s post of 08/03/2020 20:53:52

Ah … I was actually referring to the email routing headers on the assumption that the email was showing up on peoples' local email clients (which is how I read email … gmail incoming gets forwarded and added to other sources). Not sure how easy it is to look at the full headers from gmail online itself.

I did try exactly what Jason did but nothing showed up for me in either of the the gmail inboxes (2 accounts) – when checked online – even though I am logged into both. My browser is pretty strapped down security-wise though.

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Looking at it further they are not e-mails but adverts carefully places at the top of the list and don't move down like normal e-mails or have any date, sender, etc.

This is todays, I looked at the printer a week or two ago and I do buy from Cutwel. Clicked on Cutwel and it comes up as an advert not in the usual e-mail format.

Would be interesting to know how it showed up on Bill's

But I would say they are more like targetted adverts than e-mails.

EDIT

Just clicked the exclamation marm next to the "ad" icon and all becomes clear

Edited By JasonB on 09/03/2020 17:49:12

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