On 03/10/2002 3:19 AM, Peter Lairo wrote: > Jay Garcia wrote: >> In order to be classified as "Spyware", it would have to know your >> personal information to associate with the search criteria as well as >> demographics such as where you live possibly and/or other delimiting >> personal information. And since this "feature" cannot do that it cannot >> be classified as "Spyware". Every time you send email and/or post to a >> newsgroup, your IP address is readily available. > > Jay, that is such a weak argument! *Anytime* software sends info about > what i do without either me expressly telling it to do so (e.g., typing > a URL and hitting enter) or it expressly telling me, and without a > need-to-know (and AOhell definetely does *not* need-to-know what I am > searching for on Google), is *spyware* and sleazy practice, at best! > > You should not be defending this aspect of Netscape. It diminishes your > (currently high) standing in the online community. >
Hold on, I'm not DEFENDING a thing, only offering/tendering an explanation based on many years of experience in my field of endeavor - Network Engineering and commercial web hosting. If Netscape were to spy on ME, Jay Garcia and send back information that would expressly identify ME along with other personal information then YES, I would consider that spyware and would immediately jump their case. ID by IP is not considered personal info as that is readily available by employing a very simple script on every form you submit, page you visit and so on ... But, this is not the case here at all. There is no personal information linking YOU to the search criteria whatsoever. Therefore, not spyware. I fun Firebox 1000 Hardware Firewalls on my servers. There is no way to prevent the forwarding of IP addresses but there is NO WAY to ID me personally or any of my users unless we deliberately make that info available. Look at it this way for example: You go to a movie where there are a 1/2 dozen movies playing at "The Palace" for instance. There is an usher standing in the foyer with a "clicker" counting how many folks go to which movie. In the final tabulation is your personal info submitted or just the "clicks" ?? -- Jay Garcia - Netscape Champion Novell MCNE-5/CNI-Networking Technologies-OSI UFAQ - http://www.UFAQ.org
