I was not aware that it is possible to turn off a referrer in the browser. I've had a look around my browsers and it seems that opera has this feature, I couldn't find it in mozilla, Netscape and IE.
Remember, too, it's not just the browser that's involved.
Many people's web access takes place via a proxy or cache of some sort -- a web cache on their network boundary, or a transparent cache at the ISP which they have no control over -- and those proxies can remove referrer information, or indeed any header they feel like.
Or they could use an "anonymizing" [*shudders* at the word] server for more discreet web browsing, and again the referrer information will be removed. Similar software can run on their own PC, effective acting as a proxy too.
Overall, HTTP is a stateless protocol -- here's a URL, give me back a response. Anything which attempts to link separate requests into a stateful transaction -- referrer headers, cookies, whatever -- is an extra and can't be relied upon.
Stil
-- Stilgherrian <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Internet, IT and Media Consulting, Sydney, Australia. ABN 25 231 641 421 mobile 0407 623 600 (international +61 407 623 600) fax 02 9516 5630 (international +61 2 9516 5630) +------------------------------------------------------------------------ | TO UNSUBSCRIBE from this list: | http://lists.isite.net/listgate/analog-help/unsubscribe.html | | Digest version: http://lists.isite.net/listgate/analog-help-digest/ | Usenet version: news://news.gmane.org/gmane.comp.web.analog.general | List archives: http://www.analog.cx/docs/mailing.html#listarchives +------------------------------------------------------------------------
