CNN Quick Poll Wiping: Clean Your "Cookies"

[HarveyBriggs]

I think they are tracking web-driven partisan voting.

CNN has three cookies they place in your cookie file under cnn.com and I've also found another one listed as www.cnn.com.

The cookies can be used to track your voting behavior.

Any other feedback on this? It's interesting seeing the cookies that get placed in your file when voting or when e-mailing numerous sites.

I use a Mac (Al Gore is on their BOD) with OSX Jaguar and their Safair browser. With OSX I have created a separate user just for voting so I can track and clear voting and e-mail cookies.

Just remember, when you log on they can place cookies on your computer and track you. You can disguise this behavior by clearing your cookie file.

Harvey Briggs

[zoeb]

1. is that in windows or documents and settings? n/t

[HarveyBriggs]

17. I'm not sure what you're referring to, but I'll try ...

Cookies are a bit of computer information that websites place on your computer.

For example if you have clicked, "remember me" on forum sites like this, the site places a cookie there so it will remember you when you return.

To prevent skewing of votes, sites will place a cookie on your computer that will remember that you voted and prevent you from voting again.

You can choose not to accept cookies by selecting that preference in the preference file of your browser's software. Usually you can find preferences in a pull-down menu in your browser's toolbar. It varies from browser to browser.

If you have never checked for cookies on your computer, and you do a lot of browsing, don't be surprised to find hundreds or maybe even thousands of cookies on your computer.

One thing I've observed in monitoring cookies is that some voting sites will place a disguised cookie in your file. You may clean out the cookie that prevents you from voting, but another cookie with a name that does not identify itself by site name is found elsewhere on your cookie list. It's tricky.

WARNING: if you clean out all your cookies, you may clear out the cookies that carry automatic log-on information to all your favorite log-on sites. So be careful.

In Mac OSX, I can create a separate user, which gives me a whole new cookie file for that user. When I use that for voting I can clear all my cookies, and I can also monitor all the cookies that are placed when I visit a site.

As I mentioned earlier, there is software available that does that function for you.

Oh, and one more thing. If you have DSL or other internet service that does not have a static IP address, you can unplug your modem for a bit, and when you re-connect it, you will have a new IP address. Some sites track IP addresses, and that can mask you, too.

It's not that I'm up to anything, but I don't like people following me around the internet -- particularly the market research folks.

Harvey Briggs

[gospelized]

2. all you have to do

is block all cookies from them.

[kevin881]

3. I have a firewall the prevents spyware

its called protowall, and it is prohibiting cnn.com from writing cookies into my harddrive... but that in turn, isnt allowing me to vote.

[HarveyBriggs]

5. Blocking cookies blocks your voting ...

...enabling cookies allows you to vote.

You can find cookies on your browser's preferences file. Where it is in preferences depends on your browser. You'll see a long list.

I believe there is also cookie tracking and monitoring software.

By clearing cookies, you can also vote over and over, but of course that would be very unethical and skew the vote.

Harvey Briggs

[napi21]

4. I'm sure no 'puter whiz, but I found I can clear cookies and vote again!

I don't know if this totally addresses your issue, but it seems like it does.

[Forkboy]

10. Which is precisely why all the rah rah stuff here on DU

about the polls being in our favor is so insipid.

[ClintonTyree]

6. They'll just keep...............

throwing away polls until they get one they like. Well, IT AIN'T GONNA HAPPEN ASSHOLES! CNN doesn't have an ounce of integrity anymore.

[HarveyBriggs]

23. I don't think that's why they are doing it, dumpgump ...

I think they are doing research on where the voting is coming from.

I'm not a techie, but I have been involved with some reseaarch where these techniques were discussed, and I've been told that cookies can be used to track your previous web visit and the following web visit.

So, if you come from a media list on DU, I believe they can track that, and when you return to vote on the next poll on the list, they can track that, too.

If they get a lot of visits coming from a single site, it's a pretty good bet the people clicking from one site were sent there.

And we know we do that here. We know the DNC asks us to do it. And it does help control the spin.

As "Tweety" mentioned last night, it's a version of "get out the vote."

It seems to me that "wiping" isn't trying to change a poll, but some kind of control devise to measure ... something else. I suspect that is partisan-driven web voting.

As I mentioned on my very first post, clearing cookies and revoting is unethical. Then again, I see nothing wrong with somebody cleaning up one's internet tracks.

So, if they are indeed researching this behavior and trashing results because of it, doesn't it make sense to clean up your business?

Harvey Briggs

[dolo amber]

7. This is the saddest thread

I've ever seen on DU... :cry:

[kixot]

22. Let me second that notion.

We don't freep here at DU. We leave that to the scumbags in freeperville. We must practice the fairness that we preach, underhanded lowball tactics are beneath us and should remain so.

[dolo amber]

24. While I do agree with your point...totally

I meant more *sad* as in *pathetic*...:eyes:

edit: I seem to have misinterpreted the intent of the original thread and thus apologize to Harvey.

I do stand by my assertion however that DU losing its collective mind to the point of having a giant yellow freakout banner on the front page over some useless meaningless poll is indeed baffling and *sad*.

[DemBones DemBones]

35. I was ready to pounce on Harvey Briggs for suggesting re-voting

but that isn't what he said.

As for DU encouraging us to vote, I think it's important that we make our opinions known. Online polls are stupid but they influence people since the media reports the results.

We have seen that the right wing writes lots of letters and e-mails and makes lots of calls, and have had influence far beyond their numbers. That's how they gained power, after years of effort.

We have greater numbers, why shouldn't we use our influence?

[MazeRat7]

8. No, not exactly...

CNN makes heavy use of cookies, this is true. But only the ones from polls.cnn.com are used for vote tracking. Typically they will have content like POLLID_<number> where <number> is the id of the poll.

I have about 8 cnn.com cookies. They track preferences, which edition, and other mundane items. I only have one polls.cnn.com cookie from the last on-line vote I made last night.

MZr7

[Name removed]

9. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[HarveyBriggs]

19. It's not about re-voting, it's about this "wiping" and tracking.

Look,

Re-voting is poitnless to me. How much time do you think I have to affect a tenth of a percent on a poll with hundreds of thousands of votes.

I'm responding to the "wiping" that CNN is doing, and what seems to be some tracking they are doing.

Spyware is one thing, cookie tracking is another. So is IP tracking.

Ask yourself, why are they "wiping" their poll results and re-polling? Hmmm?

They are doing research.

In fact, I've mentioned some of the cable announcers mention that they don't know how much is casual voting and how much of the voting is being driven by partisan web drives.

By clearing your cookies, and re-connecting your non-static IP internet connection, you can blur the line.

Why do you think some of the editors of some of the papers and blogs are treating your self-written e-mails as spam? They are tracking you.

Think about it.

Harvey Briggs

[0rganism]

11. DO NOT erase your cookies to double vote

Worthless as these online polls are, multiple-voting is a freeper tactic. Show the freepers that we don't have to stoop to their level, that we can crush them with sheer turnout and honest, one-time voting.

[athena]

25. You can't double-vote, anyway. The polls check that the same IP address

doesn't vote twice. The point of removing your cookies is so that they can't tell you came to their site from DU.

I've checked. I tried voting twice by removing my cookies, and the number stayed the same.

[0rganism]

26. Some freepers go so far as to re-assign their IP addresses, too

This is especially prevalent on dial-up accounts using DHCP.

[MazeRat7]

32. No, CNN cookies have NOTHING to do with where you came from

That is a function of their server. Its called a referrer tag and it logs the referring URL that you clicked on to get to their site. If you want to mask this open a new browser window and cut/paste the URL. This will make the poll site the first site that new window has visited, hence no referring URL.

MZr7

[blm]

12. Don't act like freepers. One person one vote. Cheating is uncool.

Leave that rep to the Republicans.

[0007]

13. Is rejecting their cookies a good idea?

[MazeRat7]

16. No, then your vote won't be counted.

Also, I am pretty sure that erasing cookies will not let you vote more then once either. I "think" they use the cookie to id the poll but they also keep the client id (ip address) to prevent just that kind of freeper tactic.

MZr7

[ibegurpard]

14. There's a reason that tactic is called "freeping"

The freepers pioneered it and I want nothing to do with it.

[951]

15. Same!

[seraph]

18. Well said. (nt)

[zoeb]

20. I found them!

they're in documents and settings...i dumped them all...then I had to re-login at this site and I guess a few other sites but its not a biggie
Thanks for the help.

Okay, if your gonna demand honesty I won't play the freeper game...but I'm really disappointed!!!

[KharmaTrain]

21. Norton Clean Sweep...The Cookie Killer

This program scans both cookies and registries...any trace of a name like cnn.com can be easily found and "cleaned". Be careful, you could wipe out access to places like this or others that use cookies for log-ins and other functions...and screwing with registries can do some real goofy things.

A "poll monger" I know uses the "Annonymizer"...a program that gives a phony IP number and other cookie data...not totally sure how or if this works. Or, there are some sites where you can get into from a third party site and that leaves a different address that can screw up their tracking.

Happy polling...

[quaoar]

28. Is this it?

http://www.anonymizer.com/totalnetshield/1.5/index.shtml

[KharmaTrain]

29. Dats The One...

Real powerful stuff...for those who really don't want to be seen.

The only problem I've heard with it is it may conflict with some third-party firewalls...but I wouldn't surf without it :evilgrin:

[Name removed]

27. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Awsi Dooger]

30. What level is orange hair and a blue face?

Just wondering :)

[Name removed]

31. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[ParanoidPat]

33. Why don't you apply the adjectives you used.......

.....against another DUer (a violation of the site rules BTW) to yourself since you are oblivious to the damage you do to those of us who have been working here for the last couple years?

I find it strange that you chose to post this just as several major press entities started pointing at DU for 'manipulating polls' and shortly after someone from Freerepublic mentioned in a thread there that DU was advising members how to 'dump their cookies' to vote more than once.

Why at this particularly sensitive time are you suddenly so worried about our security? Talk about an embarrassment! :eyes:

[Awsi Dooger]

39. Darn, I returned too late for the wonderful adjectives

Cookies and criticism all wrapped in one thread. Could have been tasty.

[nomatrix]

36. WTF people! Read before you post

CNN wiped poll results update in yellow at top of page.

Thread title the same.

(Election 2000 in Florida had "power outage" wiped out votes from Gore.) Let them know you won't get fooled again. Vote again for the 1st time.

You guys all owe Harvey an appology.

[ReadTomPaine]

34. This is a perfectly reasonable possibility, Harvey. It fits the current...

... undisguised bias of their mandated editorial line.

RTP

[DemBones DemBones]

37. Real DUers do not re-vote in polls. We've always opposed that here.

It's called freeping because the freepers of free republic do it.

That said, Harvey, I am all for internet privacy, and I think that is what you are talking about. If CNN wipes a poll several times, are they trying to see if most votes come from DU? If so, we don't have to identify ourselves as DUers (which, after all, is only one small part of our identities) whenever we go anywhere if we manage our cookies properly. Have I got it right about what you mean, Harvey?

I don't feel it would be dishonest for me not to let CNN see that I frequent DU. I vote in their polls all the time and usually without following anyone's link to CNN. Others may think it is dishonest and can try to convince me of that.

Again, it is dishonest to vote more than once in a poll, tempting though it may be.

[KoKo]

42. I agree, one vote per person. Otherwise we become the same people we

are trying to get out...who lie, cheat, steal and do anything to stay in power.

[democracyindanger]

38. Although the thought is appreciated,

I don't think there's any need to resort to doing it. We've got the truth and reality on our side, and unlike 2000, I think truth and reality are actually winning out.

[SheWhoMustBeObeyed]

40. I clean out cookies and I vote only once

Harvey makes a good point, and he isn't advocating 'voter fraud.' Deleting unwanted cookies is just good housekeeping and puts a crimp in the collection of your information for use in marketing. I don't watch Fox or CNN, I'd never subscribe to most of the newspapers that run polls; just as I won't help them make money through their main venues, I won't contribute to their making money online by counting me as a repeat visitor, which affects their ad rates the same way circulation numbers affect the ad rates of newspapers.

I also use a web-based email address for almost all registrations. Outside of friends, family and business associates, very few have my server-based email address, and as a result I get no spam there.

[sherilocks]

41. Using "Prompt for Cookies" on MS Internet Explorer

This will give you the option of placing cookies or not. It may be a little annoying at first, but you get used to it. This way you see how many cookies are placed and for how long. Just hit the info button on the prompt if you want to know more about the cookie request.

Here's how: Tools>internet options>Privacy>custom>

You should get a pop-up for cookies; if not search the list for cookies.

Hit the two prompt buttons and then apply.