Jun 3, 2009

Contra Costa Times Features "KnowPrivacy" Project

From the Contra Costa Times

Study: Web collects more information than you know

By Matt Krupnick

BERKELEY — Web users are tracked far more widely than they know, UC Berkeley researchers revealed this week.

Companies often provide information about people who visit their Web sites to others, despite assertions to the contrary, the study concluded. Some tracking software collects detailed information on how people use the Internet.

"Some third party will then know that a computer from your (location) visited a Web page, and they'll know the content of the page you viewed," said Ashkan Soltani, one of three UC Berkeley graduate students who compiled the study as part of their master's project before graduating last week....

Despite privacy policies assuring users that companies do not collect personal information on their Web sites, many find loopholes that allow them to do just that, said Brian Carver, a professor at the UC Berkeley School of Information who advised the students.

"They may not be sharing the information themselves, but they're inviting other companies onto their sites to collect the information," he said....

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Last updated: October 4, 2016