How to Tell Which Emails Quietly Track You
Everyone sends emails now: political parties, your book club, freelance journalists, the social networks you're signed up to, your parents, that online store that you only bought one item from a decade ago, and many, many more.
What do a lot of those email senders have in common? They want to know whether the messages they send you are being opened, and there are a variety of tools available to help them do just that—tools that aren't all that hard to use.
A tracking pixel, embedded somewhere in the email, is how most people monitor whether an email gets opened. Once the tiny, hidden single-pixel image is loaded, it reports back to base. Their use across emails is now up to "endemic" levels according to some experts.
Tracking pixels can report the times and dates their associated email was opened, as well as the location of the device used, and the email client involved. That's a lot of data to feed back to a third-party that you might not know much about.
https://www.wired.com/story/how-to-tell-which-emails-track-you/
#email #tracking #privacy
Everyone sends emails now: political parties, your book club, freelance journalists, the social networks you're signed up to, your parents, that online store that you only bought one item from a decade ago, and many, many more.
What do a lot of those email senders have in common? They want to know whether the messages they send you are being opened, and there are a variety of tools available to help them do just that—tools that aren't all that hard to use.
A tracking pixel, embedded somewhere in the email, is how most people monitor whether an email gets opened. Once the tiny, hidden single-pixel image is loaded, it reports back to base. Their use across emails is now up to "endemic" levels according to some experts.
Tracking pixels can report the times and dates their associated email was opened, as well as the location of the device used, and the email client involved. That's a lot of data to feed back to a third-party that you might not know much about.
https://www.wired.com/story/how-to-tell-which-emails-track-you/
#email #tracking #privacy
Wired
How to Tell Which Emails Quietly Track You
Your emails know more about you than you might think, like when you open them or when you forward them to others. But you can reclaim your privacy.
Forwarded from BlackBox (Security) Archiv
Data protection activist Max Schrems: Google illegally tracks Android users
Facebook watchdog Max Schrems is taking on Google. He has filed a complaint in France accusing Google of massive violations of the GDPR - specifically, tracking via advertising ID.
Austrian privacy activist Max Schrems has filed a complaint against Google in France with his privacy association Noyb, alleging that the U.S. tech giant is illegally tracking the use of Android smartphones without the consent of their users. He bases his accusation on the unique advertising ID that every Android smartphone carries.
Accusation: Google's advertising ID allows tracking without consent
These IDs allow Google and its advertisers to track the surfing behavior of Android users in order to target them with suitable advertising. Apple has very similar technology with its Identifier for Advertisers (IDFA).
In the complaint filed Wednesday with France's data protection authority, Schrems accuses the tech giant of conducting "illegal operations" that violate EU data protection laws when creating and storing the advertising ID. In particular, he arguably sees the requirement for prior consent violated.
Schrems is calling on the data protection authorities to launch an investigation against Google. This should reveal Google's tracking practices and ultimately force the company to behave in a DSGVO-compliant manner. In addition, Schrems is calling for the imposition of hefty fines in the event that the authority finds evidence of misconduct.
"Trail of powder" allows detailed tracking
‼️ "These hidden identifiers on your phone allow Google and third parties to track users without their consent," Schrems' privacy lawyer Stefano Rossetti tells the Financial Times, adding, "It's like having a powder on your hands that leaves a trail of everything you do on your phone - from whether you swiped right or left to what song you were listening to."
Google has not yet commented on the allegations. Apple has just impressively proven that Schrems' concerns are not without substance by wanting to make the use of the advertising ID subject to consent in the upcoming iOS update.
(Paywall) https://www.ft.com/content/4617cc99-3ed2-49e1-b97f-db4f1b45b5db
https://t3n.de/news/google-trackt-android-1371162/#%E2%80%9ESpur_aus_Puder%E2%80%9C_erlaubt_detailliertes_Tracking
#dataprotection #android #advertising #id #user #tracking #illegal #gdpr #thinkabout
📡 @nogoolag 📡 @blackbox_archiv
Facebook watchdog Max Schrems is taking on Google. He has filed a complaint in France accusing Google of massive violations of the GDPR - specifically, tracking via advertising ID.
Austrian privacy activist Max Schrems has filed a complaint against Google in France with his privacy association Noyb, alleging that the U.S. tech giant is illegally tracking the use of Android smartphones without the consent of their users. He bases his accusation on the unique advertising ID that every Android smartphone carries.
Accusation: Google's advertising ID allows tracking without consent
These IDs allow Google and its advertisers to track the surfing behavior of Android users in order to target them with suitable advertising. Apple has very similar technology with its Identifier for Advertisers (IDFA).
In the complaint filed Wednesday with France's data protection authority, Schrems accuses the tech giant of conducting "illegal operations" that violate EU data protection laws when creating and storing the advertising ID. In particular, he arguably sees the requirement for prior consent violated.
Schrems is calling on the data protection authorities to launch an investigation against Google. This should reveal Google's tracking practices and ultimately force the company to behave in a DSGVO-compliant manner. In addition, Schrems is calling for the imposition of hefty fines in the event that the authority finds evidence of misconduct.
"Trail of powder" allows detailed tracking
‼️ "These hidden identifiers on your phone allow Google and third parties to track users without their consent," Schrems' privacy lawyer Stefano Rossetti tells the Financial Times, adding, "It's like having a powder on your hands that leaves a trail of everything you do on your phone - from whether you swiped right or left to what song you were listening to."
Google has not yet commented on the allegations. Apple has just impressively proven that Schrems' concerns are not without substance by wanting to make the use of the advertising ID subject to consent in the upcoming iOS update.
(Paywall) https://www.ft.com/content/4617cc99-3ed2-49e1-b97f-db4f1b45b5db
https://t3n.de/news/google-trackt-android-1371162/#%E2%80%9ESpur_aus_Puder%E2%80%9C_erlaubt_detailliertes_Tracking
#dataprotection #android #advertising #id #user #tracking #illegal #gdpr #thinkabout
📡 @nogoolag 📡 @blackbox_archiv
Ft
Max Schrems accuses Google of illegally tracking Android users
Activist’s complaint alleges tech giant’s use of tracking identifiers without user consent breaches EU law