Disney, Ustream, SodaHead, Warner Bros., and a number of other websites are spying on kids’ Internet use, according to a lawsuit filed recently by a group of parents and their children. The suit accuses ad widget company Clearspring Technologies of enabling these sites to track kids all over the Internet, and not just on Clearspring partner sites, leaving them in violation of numerous federal and California state privacy laws.
According to the complaint, each of the Clearspring affiliates independently and knowingly authorized the company to track users, even on non-Clearspring affiliated sites. A Flash-based tracking cookie was allegedly installed by the affiliate sites without users’ knowledge, and would recreate itself by digging into the Flash storage bin for the same user information if deleted. Essentially, users who were trying to remain privacy-conscious by regularly deleting their cookies were not able to rid themselves of the cookies deposited by Clearspring.
From there, the defendants allegedly collected personally identifying information about their users in order to sell the data, which includes video viewing habits, gender, age, race, education level, geographic location, sexual preference, what the users like to read, home address, phone number, health condition, and more, says the lawsuit. The parents behind the lawsuit cited a recent study out of UC California-Berkeley about Flash Cookies and Privacy, which found that certain Flash cookies would respawn when deleted—without any notice to or consent from the user.
I delete all Flash cookies but I didn’t realize that some were able to “respawn.”
Spooky mutant monster cookies.
You know there is a easy fix. Just uninstall flash (bloatware). You could live with out it. That might force these sites to goto HTML5.
yumm
#2, except that sites that REQUIRE ADOBE..
Are they made with real Zombies?
Yuck! Flash cookies leave bad taste in mouth.
It’s easy to delete the Flash cookies. Just delete /username/.adobe and /username/.macromedia
Of course Windows and Mac users won’t have it so easy.
If you use a personal computer with Adobe Flash on it and value your privacy, you MUST learn how to delete Flash Local Storage Objects (LSOs). The cookie manager in most browsers is completely unaware of LSOs and cannot delete them. The LSOs are the “cookies” described in this article, and are a proprietary device used only by Adobe Flash. In most cases, there is no need to have persistent LSOs. I run Windows 98, Windows XP and Ubuntu Linux machines. On each of them I have scripts (batch files) that delete LSOs. On the Ubuntu machine the script runs as a cron job every 12 hours and on startup. On the Windows machines the batch file runs every time the machine starts up. I can also invoke the scripts and batch files at any time manually.
The allegations that the cookies “respawn” is completely bogus. If you go to YouTube and view the same video again, another cookie will be created to replace the one that was created the last time you viewed that video. If you never go back to the site, you’ll never see that cookie again.
“I delete all Flash cookies but I didn’t realize that some were able to “respawn.””
Installed a plug in for fire fox to remove them but if they are using malware tricks then I guess I have the same issue. Of course all flash cookies are by definition malware in my view.
The only reason to make flash cookies is to try and track people that don’t wish to be tracked.
@9
That’s a major overstatement, many flash games use cookies to keep track of your progress. Many use them to remember settings. Stop it with the sensational statements flash cookies just like ever other type of cookie have countless uses besides tracking you.
I use Firefox and the BetterPrivacy plug in. Each time I close the browser these LSO cookies are deleted. Works every time.
[Comment deleted - Violation of Posting Guidelines. - ed.]
You just have to ask yourself, why are these companies so desperate for profit, that they track kids habits? And keep profiles on them. Right now, it’s for “commercial” reason. Later, it could be for the 21th century equiv. of the Hitler Youth (Disney Youth?). At least that’s how Glenn Beck would react to it, if he weren’t a partner to this crap.
BetterPrivacy Extension for Firefox does flash as well as the DOM Supercookie. DOM’s have no size limits and do not expire. This only deletes Firefox DOM’s.
For people still crazy enough to use IE..I can only suggest the MAXA Cookie Manager with any integrity. The have a limited free version, however the paid version does delete IE/Microsoft DOM super cookies and non-browser specific cookies.
Fwiw: Windows stores a history of **every file you have ever opened** in the registry’s MUICache and similar data in encrypted form in the UserAssist List(s).
A simple tool for killing these tracks and much more can be found in Nirsoft’s CleanAfterMe. nails almost every tracker in windows along with basic cookie and history for whatever browsers are installed on your machine. All Selectable from one menu, and free. details here. It’s a single .exe you extract where ever you wish and run. Nirsoft has over a hundred, tiny, purpose built utilities. well respected amongst troubleshooters.
Those looking for a general purpose “De-Crapifier” – CCleaner is very good, spyware-free and also clears out browser stuff as well as abandoned registry entries and more–and 100% free.
(note: if you have never run a cleaner on your machine, are not security minded, -and its a few years old, CCleaner and CleanAfterMe may take a while before showing everything gathered for deletion. I’ve seen them run as long 20-30 minutes before presenting the “clean button” and present as much as 530gb of pure junk to be deleted. -be patient. this goes double for youtube/video junkies) On more “aware” user’s machines, this operation usually takes less than a minute.
Search for Javacool’s MRU Blaster as well. its another (small) trail cleaner that deletes usage lists in your registry that the others tend to miss.
(All these lists are in part, what PC “forensic” dudes use to see what you’ve been up to. -given the political police state insanity as of late, you need only mouth off in the wrong place at the wrong time to have your PC confiscated and gone over with a fine-tooth comb.
you would be surprised at how easily one can spin what is otherwise “normal” browsing habits into some warped, 6 o’clock Headline News internet threat, if for no other reason than they need a scapegoat or distraction. -especially around election cycles.
you may wish to re-think your habits.
-s
http://imasuper.com/66/technology/flash-cookies-the-silent-privacy-killer/