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Why does thesite privacy statement not mention RedSheriff?

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
edited January 2023 in Help Desk
An Australian company, whose web bug may be collecting all sorts of interesting referrer information?

What control does youthnet have over the content of the lump of javascript downloaded each time we view a page?
Post edited by JustV on

Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    It does http://www.thesite.org/about_us/privacy
    Log data

    Cookies are used by TheSite.org to record certain information about the way the website is used. The date and time when you visited our site and the internet address of the web site which you clicked through from is recorded. On a purely aggregated basis, we collect information on which of our pages are looked at, and how often. This information is collected so we can make improvements to the website where necessary. None of this information is matched to particular users or individual IP addresses.

    We simply employ a third party who are able to collect additional data, and provide much more detailed reports.

    By the way you're a few years out of date - although our code may still mention redsherrif in a couple of places the company is now owned by Nielsen (the company that collect the TV ratings in the states) - under the name Nielsen-Netratings.

    To make it clear we would recieve no funding and this website would be gone without being able to provide verifiable and accurate web traffic information.

    As a rough example of what happens and what is collected. Everytime a page is looked at the ip, the url, the page previously viewed, the screen resolution, the operating system, java script on your computer, and a few other things like type of connection are collected.

    This information builds into a picture of what visitors look at, what is popular and provides a relatively accurate picture of the number of unique users looking at our website.

    This information informs decisions on design, on popular areas, on the popularity of search terms, meta data review, necessary articles, articles to promote, levels of necessary accessibility, success of new services, and the methods of providing services, failure or success of email registration, funding decisions and many more of the necessary internal decisions required by a website recieving 500,000+ visitors in a month.

    It should be noted that Nielsen-netratings remains probably the single most popular web analytic companies in the world and retains a constant relationship with every major website in the world. They are used, for example you can see in their report on online men's magazines that all of these sites use netratings, as do the BBC, Sky, etc.

    It's also worth remembering that it would never be Nielsen who would release specific information, if the situation occured, to the proper authorities - that would be done by YouthNet. As an example of our confidentiality policy please check out askTheSite's confidentiality policy. It's also worth remembering that regardless of netratings your ip address is always logged by every single website you visit.

    The only websites that don't maintain these logs tend to be website that provide anaonymous browsing - the kind of websites that were instrumental in allowing the attacks on Jake0 and his friends and family following his death.

    Ultimately, Netratings just adds to the information that is useful to us to maintain this charity it's never going to be linked to you personally, and it just gives us lots of pretty graphs that hopefully turn green and keep the wheels turning.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Thank god for that :crazyeyes
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Im glad you cleared that up Jim, it would have kept me awake tonight

    :p
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Nielsen is the antichrist.


    ;)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Jim V wrote: »
    It does http://www.thesite.org/about_us/privacy
    We simply employ a third party who are able to collect addition data, and provide much more detailed reports.
    I did read that before asking. It could be my poor english comprehension, but while you talk about information "we" collect, and that you don't share personal data with third parties, you never mention information you enable 3rd parties to collect.

    Further, by allowing a lump of javascript to be download from the third parties site, you have less control over what information they are collecting.

    It's also worth remembering that it would never be Nielsen who would release specific information,
    I though you said they were American.

    Do you still stand by that statement given the American legal situation?
    It's also worth remembering that regardless of netratings your ip address is always logged by every single website you visit.
    yes, but here information about IP addresses visiting a site is collected by a third party.
    Netratings just adds to the information that is useful to us to maintain this charity it's never going to be linked to you personally, and it just gives us lots of pretty graphs that hopefully turn green and keep the wheels turning.

    I understand your reasons. I expect you to collect and use the data, in ways outlined by your privacy statement. I was surprised by the webbug, but shocked that you failed to mention it. I'm also mildly disturbed that you appear to attempt to use the Jake0 thing to justify the Neilsen stuff, when the two are quite unrelated.


    I strongly feel your privacy statement needs updating as I believe it to be misleading. I'd like to see a link to the relevant privacy statements from Nielsen.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Does it matter? Theres not really a great deal someone can do with your ip unless they have your mac address as well and even then any serious hackers aren't going to waste their time getting into someone personal computer, its a waste of time..
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    can you find out where somone lives from their IP address ?

    :thumb:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Big Gay wrote: »
    I strongly feel your privacy statement needs updating as I believe it to be misleading. I'd like to see a link to the relevant privacy statements from Nielsen.

    Well I'll certainly pass on your request but our lawyers have looked over all of our legal information. I would point out again that without the information we wouldn't be able to provide this website, and if you can't trust us you may have to decide not to use this website.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Calvin wrote: »
    can you find out where somone lives from their IP address ?

    :thumb:

    Of course, but not without a court order applied to an ISP - how do you think so many people get letters about downloading pirated content? Though they are normally sent through an ISP. Though recent anti-terrorism legislation means that the law is slightly different around credible threats of terrorism.

    As already mentioned the recording of an IP address is an automatic part of how a website works. It's what directs a server where to send data - therefore there's always a record. You can combine the time of the request with the linked ISP to the IP, then the ISP is able to provide the details if required to by law.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Actually you're right Big Gay, we do need to update that information - guess it's time to find the money for the lawyers again.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Jim V wrote: »
    how do you think so many people get letters about downloading pirated content?

    Oh shit, i thought the companies said that to scare us from not downloading.

    :thumb:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Jim V wrote: »
    Of course, but not without a court order applied to an ISP
    It takes less than a court order. It's been over a year since I handled one, but (from memory) it comes in on a data protection waiver form, and has to be signed by a certain rank, and (this last bit I'm sure is wrong, but it's what I remember) it has to give some information on the crime being investigated.

    I will point out the police claimed to be surprised when I insisted on the paperwork - the implication being that "most" ISPs will give the details out to anyone claiming to be a police officer
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    icey wrote: »
    Does it matter? Theres not really a great deal someone can do with your ip unless they have your mac address as well and even then any serious hackers aren't going to waste their time getting into someone personal computer, its a waste of time..

    MAC address in entirely irrelevant - they are lost at the first IP router
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