Internet Privacy: Opting Out
| Category: Internet Tips | Date: 2003-11-24 |
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Europeans sometimes seem to be much more ethical than Americans (and I am an American; well, a Californian, a state which, like Texas, sometimes views itself as a separate country), at least when it comes to privacy. This higher standard of ethics is leading to some serious friction between the two sides of the Atlantic.
Whats all the hubbub about? In the United States, we have chosen (our legislature, which is really controlled by big business and special interests) to allow businesses to send spam, junk mail and collect marketing data (among other things) about people unless those people have opted-out. This means that once you will receive unwanted items, and you must take the time to tell each individual company that you dont want them.
On the other hand, the European Union has set a very different standard: spam and other marketing related items cannot be sent to people unless they specifically ask for it. This is a much higher standard for businesses, as they must now convince people to sign up for their literature and promotions instead of handling the few who bother to say no thanks.
In the United States, opting out applies to just about everything. Even the credit bureaus can sell your marketing information (remember those credit card applications you received out of the blue in your mailbox?) to anyone they want, as long as you have not told them its not okay. Doubleclick and other agencies can build profiles of your surfing information, unless, of course, you tell them to knock it off.
Because of the laws in the United States, most marketing companies are now providing a way to opt-out from their profiling, pop-up (and under) ads, and sometimes even banners. Usually this method consists of setting a cookie which tells their ad server you have opted out. I know it seems strange to set a cookie to prevent a service from using cookies, but thats the way it works.
Links to the opt-out pages for some of the larger and more common annoyances are listed below. Click the link and follow the instructions. If, after clicking the link, you are asked by your browser or cookie software about a cookie, say YES to save it. Note that if you have disabled cookies (either altogether or for one of these specific sites) then these will not work.
If applicable, you might also read the privacy policies and other propaganda presented by these sites. They are very entertaining as they try very hard to make you understand how all of this is for your benefit.
Advertising.Com
http://servedby.advertising.com/optout
A large advertiser. Opting out will prevent profiling.
Be Free Inc
http://www.yourcontrolpanel.com/mypage/pcp.html
One of the larger internet marketing companies. "Be Free will
be prevented from tracking any additional data in the future
and will result in curtailing the delivery of personalized
content to your desktop."
Blue Streak
http://www.bluestreak.com/optout.htm
Removes some ads and pop ups.
Comet Cursors
http://download.cometsystems.com/no_nag/nonag.asp
Stop seeing comet cursor nag screens.
CoreMetrics
http://www.coremetrics.com/consumer_opt_out/
opt_out_options.html#optoutnow
Opts out of ads served by Columbia House. Note that uRL above
is on two lines and should be entered into browser as one
line.
Doubleclick
http://optout.doubleclick.net/cgi-bin/dclk/optout.pl
One of the largest and most obnoxious internet advertisers.
This will stop Doubleclick from profiling your visits.
Engage
http://www.engage.com/privacy/confirmoo_privacy.cfm
Opt out of this companies profiling.
Fastclicks.com
http://www.fastclick.net/v4/optout2.cgi?234
"Click to win" ads.
Hunger Site
http://www.interpolls.com/privacy/optout/optout.cfm
Removes their pop under ads.
Interpolis
http://www.interpolls.com/privacy/optout/optout.cfm
Movie ads.
L90
http://ads.admonitor.net/opt_out.cgi
Another ad server.
Rain Forest Site
http://www.therainforestsite.com/turnOffPopUnders
Removes their pop under ads.
WebSideStory
http://webveil.com/linkout/vwr1.hitbox.com/privcenter/edit.html
HitBox.com, StatMarket.com, Yep.com amd WebSideStory.com.
X10.Com
http://www.x10.com/home/optout.cgi?DAY=3000&PAGE=
http://www.x10.com/x10ads1.htm
One of the most hated advertisers on the internet, with their
intrusive popups and silly product. This link will stop the
popups for a long time. Note wrap on URL above.
Some Cautions
Remember that you must opt-out of each and every individual company or service. There is not a global, opt-out of everything magic button anywhere.
If you use more than one browser you must opt-out in each and every one. This is because the browsers do not share cookies.
The opt-out only applies to the computer on which you are on at the time. If you move to another computer you must opt-out there also. (Unless you are using something called a roaming profile, which means cookies and things follow you around. This is common in business environments but not in the home.)
The opt-out only applies to a single log on. This means if you opt-out under "Fred" and you then log out and log back under "Tom", you must out-out all over again.
Opt-out cookies do expire, generally within 5 years. So you must later remember to opt-out again.
If you clear your internet cache and ask that cookies also be erased (or you erase them with a cookie killing product) then you will lose your opt-out settings.
Further Information On Opting Out
Federal Trade Commission
ttp://www.ftc.gov/privacy/protect.htm
Sharing Your Personal Information: Its Your Choice
About the Author
Richard Lowe Jr. is the webmaster of Internet Tips And Secrets. This website includes over 1,000 free articles to improve your internet profits, enjoyment and knowledge.
Web Site Address: http://www.internet-tips.net
Weekly newsletter: http://www.internet-tips.net/joinlist.htm
Daily Tips: internet-tips@GetResponse.com
About the author.
Claudia Arevalo-Lowe is the webmistress of Internet Tips And Secrets and Surviving Asthma. Visit her site at http://survivingasthma.com
List of articles available for reprint: article-list@internet-tips.net
articles@internet-tips.net
http://www.internet-tips.net
Europeans sometimes seem to be much more ethical than Americans (and I am an American; well, a Californian, a state which, like Texas, sometimes views itself as a separate country), at least when it comes to privacy. This higher standard of ethics is leading to some serious friction between the two sides of the Atlantic.
Whats all the hubbub about? In the United States, we have chosen (our legislature, which is really controlled by big business and special interests) to allow businesses to send spam, junk mail and collect marketing data (among other things) about people unless those people have opted-out. This means that once you will receive unwanted items, and you must take the time to tell each individual company that you dont want them.
On the other hand, the European Union has set a very different standard: spam and other marketing related items cannot be sent to people unless they specifically ask for it. This is a much higher standard for businesses, as they must now convince people to sign up for their literature and promotions instead of handling the few who bother to say no thanks.
In the United States, opting out applies to just about everything. Even the credit bureaus can sell your marketing information (remember those credit card applications you received out of the blue in your mailbox?) to anyone they want, as long as you have not told them its not okay. Doubleclick and other agencies can build profiles of your surfing information, unless, of course, you tell them to knock it off.
Because of the laws in the United States, most marketing companies are now providing a way to opt-out from their profiling, pop-up (and under) ads, and sometimes even banners. Usually this method consists of setting a cookie which tells their ad server you have opted out. I know it seems strange to set a cookie to prevent a service from using cookies, but thats the way it works.
Links to the opt-out pages for some of the larger and more common annoyances are listed below. Click the link and follow the instructions. If, after clicking the link, you are asked by your browser or cookie software about a cookie, say YES to save it. Note that if you have disabled cookies (either altogether or for one of these specific sites) then these will not work.
If applicable, you might also read the privacy policies and other propaganda presented by these sites. They are very entertaining as they try very hard to make you understand how all of this is for your benefit.
Advertising.Com
http://servedby.advertising.com/optout
A large advertiser. Opting out will prevent profiling.
Be Free Inc
http://www.yourcontrolpanel.com/mypage/pcp.html
One of the larger internet marketing companies. "Be Free will
be prevented from tracking any additional data in the future
and will result in curtailing the delivery of personalized
content to your desktop."
Blue Streak
http://www.bluestreak.com/optout.htm
Removes some ads and pop ups.
Comet Cursors
http://download.cometsystems.com/no_nag/nonag.asp
Stop seeing comet cursor nag screens.
CoreMetrics
http://www.coremetrics.com/consumer_opt_out/
opt_out_options.html#optoutnow
Opts out of ads served by Columbia House. Note that uRL above
is on two lines and should be entered into browser as one
line.
Doubleclick
http://optout.doubleclick.net/cgi-bin/dclk/optout.pl
One of the largest and most obnoxious internet advertisers.
This will stop Doubleclick from profiling your visits.
Engage
http://www.engage.com/privacy/confirmoo_privacy.cfm
Opt out of this companies profiling.
Fastclicks.com
http://www.fastclick.net/v4/optout2.cgi?234
"Click to win" ads.
Hunger Site
http://www.interpolls.com/privacy/optout/optout.cfm
Removes their pop under ads.
Interpolis
http://www.interpolls.com/privacy/optout/optout.cfm
Movie ads.
L90
http://ads.admonitor.net/opt_out.cgi
Another ad server.
Rain Forest Site
http://www.therainforestsite.com/turnOffPopUnders
Removes their pop under ads.
WebSideStory
http://webveil.com/linkout/vwr1.hitbox.com/privcenter/edit.html
HitBox.com, StatMarket.com, Yep.com amd WebSideStory.com.
X10.Com
http://www.x10.com/home/optout.cgi?DAY=3000&PAGE=
http://www.x10.com/x10ads1.htm
One of the most hated advertisers on the internet, with their
intrusive popups and silly product. This link will stop the
popups for a long time. Note wrap on URL above.
Some Cautions
Remember that you must opt-out of each and every individual company or service. There is not a global, opt-out of everything magic button anywhere.
If you use more than one browser you must opt-out in each and every one. This is because the browsers do not share cookies.
The opt-out only applies to the computer on which you are on at the time. If you move to another computer you must opt-out there also. (Unless you are using something called a roaming profile, which means cookies and things follow you around. This is common in business environments but not in the home.)
The opt-out only applies to a single log on. This means if you opt-out under "Fred" and you then log out and log back under "Tom", you must out-out all over again.
Opt-out cookies do expire, generally within 5 years. So you must later remember to opt-out again.
If you clear your internet cache and ask that cookies also be erased (or you erase them with a cookie killing product) then you will lose your opt-out settings.
Further Information On Opting Out
Federal Trade Commission
ttp://www.ftc.gov/privacy/protect.htm
Sharing Your Personal Information: Its Your Choice
About the Author
Richard Lowe Jr. is the webmaster of Internet Tips And Secrets. This website includes over 1,000 free articles to improve your internet profits, enjoyment and knowledge.
Web Site Address: http://www.internet-tips.net
Weekly newsletter: http://www.internet-tips.net/joinlist.htm
Daily Tips: internet-tips@GetResponse.com
About the author.
Claudia Arevalo-Lowe is the webmistress of Internet Tips And Secrets and Surviving Asthma. Visit her site at http://survivingasthma.com
List of articles available for reprint: article-list@internet-tips.net
articles@internet-tips.net
http://www.internet-tips.net
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