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"When the adware provider uses code within their software to gather data without the user's knowledge, adware becomes spyware." |
For all the talk about cookies, web bugs, adware and spyware, I thought I would add my perspective to the subject.
First of all, what are all these terms and what do they mean?
I vaguely remember in my B. C. (Before Computer) days, staring in awe at my friend Paul zipping through the system files on his Amiga. My head would swim at the thought of how smart he must be to navigate all that Greek-looking text. When he tried to show me how to use his Amiga, I was solely intimidated by the terminology that spewed from his lips. I still savor the moment of breakthrough when I finally understood the connection between my hand, the mouse, the cursor, the paintbrush and the paintbox of his drawing program.
When I taught computer skills at a learning facility a few years ago, computer jargon was no less mystifying to the new PC owners under my instruction. A Desktop (to them) was the thing the computer sat upon. I can't begin to tell you how many hours I spent trying to explain the concept of a "default" setting to a senior citizen. Before the PC, the word "default" meant a failure to appear or to pay. Now it also means "A selection automatically used by a computer program in the absence of a choice made by the user". I used to explain it to them with the baseball analogy of winning by default if the other team doesn't show up. It never really completely explained the term, but that's default of da computer jargon.
Is Adware Spyware? Do Web bugs eat cookies? Is a counter a good marketing tool or an invasion of someone's precious privacy? Perhaps if we clarify some of these terms, we can better determine if we are resourceful businessmen or virtual peeping toms.
A web page counter obviously computes the amount of "hits" or "impressions" to your site. A CGI (common gateway interface) code is placed within the HTML of your site. When a surfer visits your page, the CGI application then sends a log of information either to your counter provider's server or (if you've constructed your own counter) your own CGI bin or folder. Within that log file lies information such as time of day and the number of that visitor in a summation of visitors. While a CGI counter is a program within your webpage, it is program that is directed to either the party providing the counter or to your own CGI bin.
A Cookie is code within your page that stores information onto your surfer's hard drive. The cookie collects specified data about the surfer and sends that information only to the domain that requests it. This information can be anything from a typed-in password, to the location of the previous site your surfer came from. Some cookies are timed to stay on the user's computer for an allotted duration. These are known as "persistent" cookies. Other cookies stay on the surfer's comp for only the time they spend at your page. Those cookies are called "session" cookies.
Cookies can be very helpful to the surfer because while they reside on their machines, they can "emember" deemed information for the surfer's use. For instance, a persistent cookie can remember your surfer's password the next time they visit your site. Because their cookie recalls that password, the user will not have to repeatedly type it in upon each visit. To ensure the privacy of your customer, any such data should be coded so it's sent to you in encrypted form. Encryption is a fancy term for making something unreadable to anyone except the intended reader.
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Cookies are just as helpful to the adult webmaster because of their ability to collect diverse data. Unlike a CGI counter, a cookie can tell you if your user is a previous visitor, or a new or "unique" visitor. A cookie will tell you if your surfer has viewed a particular banner, giving you the opportunity to rotate banners so your guest views fresh advertising.
Adware is software. Adware is most times a free version of software that pays for its use by embedding banners and links from clients within the program. Adware by itself is not computer invasive. When the adware provider uses code within their software to gather data without the user's knowledge, adware becomes spyware. If you inform your client of the information you intend to gather during installation, your adware is not considered spyware.
A web bug is a small, transparent graphic image with code (cookies) embedded in it. Because the graphic is invisible to your surfer's eye, they do not know the bug is there unless they look at the HTML or "source" code of your web page. The web bug is also invisible to your surfer's browser; therefore cookie warnings are ineffective against them. While a web bug may be imbedded in pages and emails and can be abused by webmasters, it can also be a beneficial tool for them. For instance, a web bug could be attached to an image and traced to any copyright thieves.
Whether you use cookies or counters or web bugs, you have a general understanding of what these terms mean. You also know the ways that these tools can used and abused. How you choose to apply this information depends entirely on your honor as a professional.