50192 - Content of page "Understanding Privacy"

Status: VERIFIED DUPLICATE of bug 50194

(Core :: Networking: Cookies, defect, P3)

Description

[Ben Bucksch (:BenB)]

The page is mostly well written. The following problems should be corrected:

1. The first paragraph under "Requesting a page" is wrong
<quote>
Beyond that [OS + Browser version, Internet Address and Referrer], the site is
unable to obtain any other information about you with out your knowledge -- it
does not know your e-mail address and certainly does not know your name.
</quote>
Apart from leaving out cookies (which are explained later), this does not take

1.1. FTP login
See Preferences|Advanced|Send email address as FTP password.
bad.com could just include an image link to a ftp server and, together with the
current IP address, get knowleldge of the email address, not? Email-address ->
real name often isn't hard (even without guessing).

1.2. Javascript
JavaScript unfortunately gives a whole lot of information to the scripts on the
page, which then can transfer this info in URLs (that load images or so) back to
the site. (BTW: Steve Morse, does the cookie code also block cookies accessed by
scripts?) For which info JS reveals, please refer to a clientside-JS reference.

into account. Please explain them at least shortly.

2. Possibly change "Who referred you" to "Referrer"

3. The paragraphs with the example for session-ids (search for "x1.com") should
be rewritten.

4. "so you probably used the same password for each site"
Don't assume the user did the wrong thing; it might make him/her think, this
were normal and OK. (No matter what you say after that.) Better substitute
"propably" with "might have", this sounds more scary.

5. Include (well-selected) links for further information.

Comment 1

[Stephen P. Morse]

*** This bug has been marked as a duplicate of 50194 ***

Comment 2

[Ben Bucksch (:BenB)]

doublepost.