Privacy Group Gives Google Lowest Possible Grade

The Washington Post is reporting on a finding by London-based group Privacy International. In a new report, they find that Google has some of the worst privacy-protection practices anywhere on the web, giving them the lowest possible grade. "While a number of other Internet companies have troubling policies, none comes as close to Google to 'achieving status as an endemic threat to privacy,' Privacy International said in an explanation of its findings. In a statement from one of its lawyers, Google said it aggressively protects its users' privacy and stands behind its track record. In its most conspicuous defense of user privacy, Google last year successfully fought a U.S. Justice Department subpoena demanding to review millions of search requests."

comScore: Cookie Deletion Skews Site Stats

Market research firm says cookie deletion can lead Web sites to substantially over-estimate their number of visitors...and publishes a white paper to detail its stance.

In the Internet advertising game, the number of visitors and hits a site can draw is the name of the game, so there's a battle between companies, like Nielsen NetRatings and comScore Media Metrics, who attempt to measure the vistorship and user bases of major Internet sites, and those sites themselves, who sometimes claim these media analysis numbers can't possibly be right, because their own server logs show substantially higher levels of use. The sites are up in arms because the amount of ad money they bring is is tightly bound to these ratings, and the analysis firms aren't big on disclosing their rating methodologies.

Back in April, Internet Advertising Bureau head Randall Rothenberg had had enough, and posted an open letter to the two largest ratings firms (comScore and Nielsen) essentially demanding they disclose their methodologies and prove their numbers are on the money. In response, last month, Nielsen announced it would submit its audience measurement system to the Media Rating Council's accredidation process, essentially opening up to an independent audit to justify its numbers.

Comscore hasn't decided to open up to an audit, but it defends the accuracy of its Web usership numbers, and today published a white paper highlighting how cookie deletion can cause sites to inflate their number of users by as much as 2.5 times. Cookies are little snippets of data Web sites can request Web browser software store on a computer; when users go back to the site—or a site which knows about a particular cookie—the site can ask if you have its cookie, and, if so, ask for it back. The data stored in cookies can have significant privacy implications (as borne out through the DoubleClick fiasco back in the early dot-com boom), but many sites still use the technology to identify returning visitors and analyze users "paths" through a site, measuring what visitors load and what they don't.

With the privacy concern over cookies, many Web browsers and add-ons now include tools which let users decline cookies, automatically reject them from third-party sites, delete them altogether based on criteria or a certain period of time, and otherwise directly manage how cookies are used on their systems—if they so choose. comScore argues that these tools—combined with users' increasing propensity to use multiple browsers, multiple computers, and run security software, often lead sites to over-estimate the number of unique visitors they have. Instead, comScore argues, the sites are often assigning new cookies to returning users and inflating their audience numbers.

Next move? Expect sites unhappy with their audience measurement numbers to fire back, explaining they know all about cookie deletion and have already accounted for it in their own numbers—which are still higher than comScore's.

Privacy Concerns with Internet and Computer Cookies

While using the Web the term “cookie” is often used. Many people don’t even realize this is a technical term and most people have no idea what it is. By definition, a cookie is a small amount of data which usually includes a unique number or string of characters to identify you. If the web site you are visiting uses cookies, their computers send this cookie to your browser which is saved on your computer’s hard drive. If you have you have configured your settings to allow web sites to send you cookies, each site can send, view or edit the cookie that they have placed on your hard drive. For privacy concerns, web sites are not allowed to view cookies placed on your hard drive by other web sites.

With the increase in the number of web sites that are using cookies, privacy advocates are concerned that these little amounts of data stored on their hard drive could pose concerns about their privacy. All Internet browsers give you the option to accept, reject or notify you each time a cookie is sent to your computer but if you simply choose to reject all cookies, you will not be able to use a lot of web sites including many of them that require you to log in like Google or Yahoo.

Advantages of Cookies

• Cookies help web sites customize their site for you. The information stored on that cookie communicates with the web site each time you come back. It can remember pages you have been to or on shopping sites, it can help you track a wish list so you can easily reference these items later.
• Many web sites give you options or preferences for their web site. You may be able to control what pops up when you first log in or simple things like the size of the font and color of the background. Cookies retain this information so you don’t have to change these preferences every time you go back to a web site.
• Since cookies retain information about some of the different pages you visit, the web site you are using can use this information to display advertisements that are directed more to you and your tastes. Instead of seeing advertisements that have nothing to do with you, you may see some advertisements that you find interesting.
• Many web sites also use the information on cookies to conduct research and help improve their web sites. Cookies can also be used to detect illegal activities on the web.

Disadvantages of Cookies.

• The major disadvantage of allowing web sites to send your computer cookies is issues with privacy. Many people don’t want to be identified on the web and have their moves tracked.
• One of the advantages listed above had to do with advertisements being directed to you. Many people consider this a disadvantage because they don’t want marketers tracking their moves and pushing specific advertisements towards them.
• Your Internet browser which communicates with the web site’s computer may be giving up more information than you are aware of. Your browser and cookies can tell web sites what kind of computer you are using, what software and hardware you use, what link you used to find their site and possibly your e-mail address if it is listed within the options or cookie. Depending on your Internet Service Provider (ISP), some web sites will request your identity when you navigate to their page. Many firewalls currently block this request but if you are not protected, you may be freely giving this information away.
• The cookie contains a number that is specific to you, similar to a serial number. It’s unique and you are the only one using it. Because of this, each time you click on a link, the web site can identify that it was you and where you are going based on this unique number. Your hobbies and web habits could potentially be sold to advertising companies that will direct their efforts to your specific hobbies and bombard you with all kinds of unwanted advertising.

Cookies can make the web a more enjoyable experience but if you are concerned about your privacy and potential unwanted advertising, check your browser options to turn them off.