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RE: [RC] A REAL FRAUD - Jesse Watson

This can be blocked by disabling HTML in your mail client and setting
your firewall to regulate ALL outgoing TCP/IP traffic. (i.e request
permission to send)

Jesse

-----Original Message-----
From: ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Diane Trefethen
Sent: Friday, June 03, 2005 2:28 PM
To: Ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [RC] A REAL FRAUD

"...The secret is to delete without reading. If you even open these, 
they know they have found a legitimate email address ..."
 
I beg to differ.  Opening an email does not send anything back to the 
sender.  Since you have advertised something, you have to open the
mail 
to find the legit. responses.

Sorry Ed.  Here you are wrong.  Emails (and websites and Word docs too)
can contain 
Web Bugs, small IMG tags that are only 1x1 pixel.  When someone sends
out an email 
containing a Web Bug, the email address the Bug is being sent to is part
of the Bug's 
URL.  As soon as you open the email, the Web Bug sends a signal back to
its URL and 
VOILA! - the sender has confirmation that YOUR email address is valid.
While most of 
the newer versions of the popular email clients have the capacity to
"block remote 
images", many do not have that facility set as a default.  You have to
go into your 
options and set it.  Also, hardly any of the older versions of email
clients even 
HAVE the capacity to block remote images.

One of the really dirty things that can be done with Web Bugs is that
they can add 
their URL's to cookies that belong to their senders.  Suppose you visit
the 
hypothetical website GreatDrugsAtGreatPrices.com and GDAGP downloads a
cookie to your 
computer.  Then later, you receive an email advertising drugs that you
open.  It 
contains a GDAGP Web Bug which immediately signals its URL and then
checks all your 
cookie folders for a GDAGP cookie.  When it finds it, it adds its URL to
the cookie. 
 Next time you visit GDAGP, the cookie is read and now GDAGP can tie
your activities 
on its website to YOU.  You are no longer just an anonymous web surfer.

For more info on Web Bugs try:

http://news.com.com/2100-1023-253517.html?legacy=cnet
http://www.eff.org/Privacy/Marketing/web_bug.html

Diane



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=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net.
Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp
Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp

Ride Long and Ride Safe!!

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=


Replies
Re: [RC] A REAL FRAUD, Diane Trefethen