Wednesday, August 31, 2005

Yahoo's privacy

Yahoo is now using something called "Web Beacons" to track Yahoo Group
users around the net and see what you're doing and where you are going
(similar to cookies). Yahoo is recording every website and every group
you visit. Take a look at their updated privacy statement:

 - http://privacy.yahoo.com/privacy

A little over half-way down the page, in the section on cookies, you
will see a link that says "web beacons". Click on it to be taken to
this page:

 - http://privacy.yahoo.com/privacy/us/beacons/details.html

That will bring you to the Web Beacons page. Look in the section
"Outside the Yahoo! Network" (2nd one down). The last sentence in the
last "bulleted" paragraph reads "Please click here to opt-out." -
click where indicated to be brought to this page:

- http://pclick.yahoo.com/p?optout

Once you have clicked that link (or visited the link above), you are
exempted. (Notice the "Success" message at the top of the page.) Be
careful because on that page there is a "Cancel Opt-out" button that,
if clicked, will *undo* the opt-out. How thoughtful of them to include
such an easy way to get back in, yet making getting out a 4 step
process...