Yahoo Tracking Group Members - how to opt out

[snot]

Pardon if you’ve already seen these instructions for one small way to resist the growing incursions on your privacy.

If you belong to ANY Yahoo Groups - including this one - be aware that Yahoo is now using "Web Beacons" to track every Yahoo Group user. It’s similar to cookies, but allows Yahoo to record every website and every group you visit, even when you're not connected to Yahoo.

Look at their updated privacy statement at http://privacy.yahoo.com/privacy <http://privacy.yahoo.com/privacy> .

About half-way down the page, in the section on cookies, you will see a link that says WEB BEACONS.

Click on the phrase “Web Beacons.” On the page that opens, find a paragraph entitled "Outside the Yahoo Network."

In that section find a little "Click Here to Opt Out" link that will let you "opt-out" of their snooping. Be careful! NOT to click on the next button shown. It is an "Opt Back In" button that, if clicked, will UNDO the opt-out.

Note that Yahoo’s invasion of your privacy – and your ability to opt-out of it – is not user-specific. It is MACHINE specific. That means you will have to opt-out on every computer (and browser) you use.

Please forward this to your other groups. You might complain, too, but I’m not sure if anyone is listening….

[PWRinNY]

1. Thanks! nt

[RagingInMiami]

2. Thanks for posting that

I would never have been able to figure that out myself

[carolinalady]

3. Thanks. n/t

[Petreader]

5. Computer hacking by the government

I have a program on my computer called Spy Sweeper, and it found a couple of "military cookies" on my last scan! I guess I'm some sort of threat!!

[carolinalady]

7. There have been a lot of members here who have found those

kind of cookies on their computer. Welcome to DU.
:hi:

[havocmom]

8. If you can read, and choose to, you are a threat to the junta.

Welcome to the DU, Petreader! Looking forward to reading more from you. :hi:

[Petreader]

23. Thanks!

Thanks. I'm more of a centerist than a liberal, but this administration scares the crap out of me

[havocmom]

26. Centrists are OK in my book. Glad to see more coming here for info

and to join the fight to save America from the Radical Right. We ALL have too much at stake to not see the value in alliances. ;)

I describe myself as a Constitutionalist first and liberal second. We need to worry less about labels and more about getting the truth out so we can save this grand experiment in democracy.

:toast: to all those who keep their eyes on the prize. We'll haggle out details, civilly and productively, after we wrest power from the corportists whose only loyalty is $$.

[Clark2008]

31. You're probably more liberal than you think.

It's just that the reich-wing media has made "liberal" a dirty word, even though most Americans, when asked about specific policies, such as abortion, environmental protection and holding corporations responsible, are liberal.

Welcome to DU. :hi:

[reichstag911]

4. Thanx! nt

[Canuckistanian]

6. Thank YOU

I watch all the tracking cookies that Ad-Aware deletes and I wonder, who uses them?

I welcome all attempts to be de-tracked.

[yy4me]

18. If you figure out who , let me know.

Ad-Aware finds tracking cookies on my computer all the time. The ones that bother me are called Dataminer. I tried something last night in relation to this. I did a scan, deleted everything Ad-Aware found, then went to Overstock.com. Looked around their site. Did another scan. There it was. One visit and they were back. It offends me and I will no longer buy from them. Anyone have others that track you all the time?

[shadowlight]

9. Thank-you. nt

[havocmom]

10. Thanks. Have just plain avoided lots of places for this reason

We would be helping many by keeping this one kicked.

[Pithy Cherub]

11. Much appreciated information and directions!

:applause:

[jimshoes]

12. Thanks

I feel like i'm under a fuggin microscope anymore.

[peacebird]

13. thanks! any idea if "opt out" actually works? Or is it a hotline

to beg for more spying?

[snot]

33. Sorry, dunno --

Got the info from an e-mail from a film producers' listserve I'm on; the members include a some geeky types.

[FloridaPat]

14. Thanks. Sneaky button for canceling the opt-out.

[celestia671]

15. Thanks for the info!

I'll have to send it to my group! That certainly explains why I get so much junk email in my inbox!

[mom cat]

16. Thanks for the heads up. I will send it out to the Yahoo groups I

know about! K&R

[KoKo]

17. thanks! n/t

[spindrifter]

19. Thanks for the tips!

[earth mom]

20. Thank you! eom

[Mr_Jefferson_24]

21. Thanks. nt

[Matt Jordan]

22. I had no idea

Thanks!

[bonito]

24. Thanks!

[AlGuest]

25. for Firefox users

If you're using Firefox you can make it delete all cookies
when you close the browser.

Tools-> Options-> then under "Cookies" set "Keep Cookies: until I close Firefox"

This will remove all cookie when you close all instances of Firefox.

[havocmom]

27. but since the tracking is not just a cookie, does that still work?

[Matariki]

35. yes, it needs a cookie to read it.

[Michigander4Dean]

28. Does the Wrong Wing have anything else to do but watch what we do?

:wtf:

[Joey Liberal]

29. Thanks! n.t

[Pool Hall Ace]

30. Thank you.

:dem:

[robbedvoter]

32. Thank you! Almost cancelled my opt out - nice try yahoo!

[Matariki]

34. there is a certain amount of hysteria and misinformation in your post

cookies CANNOT be used to track every site you go to. "web beacons" are something that are added to a site (by the creator of the site) which can be read by a cookie. A site like yahoo has partners which have a web beacon that can be read by a cookie that yahoo puts on your machine. This is most likely to track advertising or stories being forwarded & read or whatever.

COOKIES ARE NOT EVIL.

I'm not saying that there isn't a certain amount of privacy infringement in what yahoo is doing, but it also isn't nearly as nefarious or all-encompassing as your post makes it sound, and it's still a fine idea to opt-out.

here's some more info on 'web-beacons': http://www.allaboutcookies.org/web-beacons/

i'm a web developer, btw.

[Matariki]

36. who here has a supermarket 'club card'?

this is just as bad as a 'tracking cookie'.

who has ever given their social security number to someone who has no legal business asking for it - like the phone company for instance? who has allowed a potential employer to do a credit check? or a drug test?

i'd worry A LOT more about these invasions of privacy (which seem to be more and more commonplace) than i'd worry about cookies.