They Are Watching

[xoxoxoBruce]

I clicked on a link to the best hiking trails in each state which went to outsideonline dot com. Like most websites they hit me with the we-use-cookies notice with the option to click on their tracking policy. I clicked.

Tracking Technologies We Use
We and third parties on the site collect personal information about users over time and across different websites, apps, and devices (our platforms) when you use our platforms. We or third parties use several tracking technologies. These may include browser and flash cookies, web beacons, and similar technologies. These may also include device IDs. These technologies are used to track our consumers and platform users, including for the following reasons:
To track new visitors to our platforms.
To recognize past customers.
To store your password if you are registered on our platform.
To serve you with advertising content in which we think you will be interested. As part of this customization, we may observe your behaviors on this platform or on other platforms. We may also get information about your browsing history from our trusted business partners.
To integrate with third-party social media platforms.
To observe your behaviors and browsing activities over time across multiple platforms or devices.
So we can better understand our audience, our customers, our platform visitors, and their respective interests.
We may use both “session” cookies and “persistent” cookies on this website. Session cookies will be deleted from your computer when you close your browser. Persistent cookies will remain stored on your computer until deleted, or until they reach a specified expiry date. For further details, see below, consult the help menu in your browser, or visit www.allaboutcookies.org.

That was the cookies, here comes to cream...

Here is more information about certain tracking technologies cookies we currently use on our sites. We use all of these tracking technologies to improve our site and the experience of our visitors:

Analytics: Google Analytics
We use these tracking tools to collect information about how visitors use our website. For example, we collect details of the site where the visitor has come from and the total number of times a visitor has been to our website.
To opt out of being tracked by Google Analytics, visit: https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout

Advertising/Analytics: Quantcast and Quantcount
We use Quantcast tracking tools to track user behavior over time and across third-party sites to improve the effectiveness of our online advertising. The information collected is used to improve and deliver relevant advertising. We use Quantcount to collect information about how visitors use our website. For example, we collect details of the site where the visitor has come from and the total number of times a visitor has been to our website.
To opt out of being tracked by Quantcast, visit: https://www.quantcast.com/opt-out/

Advertising: Amazon Associates
We use these tracking tools to track user behavior over time and across third-party sites to improve the effectiveness of our online advertising. The information collected is used to improve and deliver relevant advertising.
To opt out of being tracked by Amazon, visit: https://www.amazon.com/adprefs/ref=h...vertisingpref2

Advertising: DoubleClick, Google Tag Manager, and Google Publisher Tags
We use these tracking tools to track user behavior over time and across third-party sites to improve the effectiveness of our online advertising. The information collected is used to improve and customize our advertising.
To opt out of being tracked by Google, visit: https://adssettings.google.com/

Analytics: ScoreCard Research Beacon
We use these tracking tools to collect information about how visitors use our website. For example, we collect details of the site where the visitor has come from and the total number of times a visitor has been to our website.
To opt out of being tracked by ScoreCard across all websites, visit: http://www.scorecardresearch.com/preferences.aspx

Advertising: Facebook Business
We use these tracking tools to track user behavior over time and across third-party sites to improve the effectiveness of our online advertising. The information collected is used to improve and deliver relevant advertising.
To opt out of being tracked by Facebook, visit: https://www.facebook.com/help/568137493302217

Analytics: Chartbeat
We use this technology to collect information about how visitors use our website. For example, we collect details of the site where the visitor has come from and the total number of times a visitor has been to our website.
To opt out of being tracked by Chartbeat, visit: https://static.chartbeat.com/opt-out.html

Functionality: Facebook Connect
We use this technology to allow users to share their experiences with our apps and websites on Facebook. For example, we may collect your browser information, demographic data, and interaction data.
To opt out of being tracked by Facebook Connect, visit: https://www.facebook.com/help/211829...ef=faq_content

Analytics: AvantLink
We use this technology to track referrals to third-party web retailers when you buy a product linked from our site.

Analytics: New Relic
We use this technology to collect information about how visitors use our website. For example, we collect details of the site where the visitor has come from and the total number of times a visitor has been to our website.
To opt out of being tracked by New Relic, visit: https://newrelic.com/termsandconditions/privacy

Analytics: Moat
We use this technology to collect information about how visitors use our website. For example, we collect details about the ads and video content a visitor as viewed or interacted with.
To opt out of being tracked by Moat, visit: https://moat.com/privacy#your_choice

So there’s a dozen (they’re telling you about) non-governmental agents watching and coordinating your every move.

Then the you what you can do about it in the next post...

[xoxoxoBruce]

... continued.

Controlling Our Use of Tracking Technologies

You may control our use of cookies. How you do so depends on the type of cookie. You can configure your browser to reject browser cookies. To find out more about how to enable, disable, or delete cookies from your web browsers, click here. To control flash cookies, click here. Why? Because flash cookies do not reside in your browser, and thus your browser settings will not affect them. If you configure your computer to block cookies, you may not be able to access certain functionality on our platforms.

Our Do-Not-Track Policy
Some web browsers have “do not track” features that allow you to tell a website not to track you. These features are not all uniform. We do not currently respond to those signals. If you block cookies, certain features on our platforms may not work. If you block or reject cookies, not all of the tracking described here will stop. Options you select are browser and device specific.

We engage in interest-based advertising.
We and our partners display interest-based advertising using information gathered about you over time across multiple platforms or devices.
Interest-based advertising (or “online behavioral advertising”) includes ads served to you after you leave our platform, encouraging you to return. They also include ads we think are relevant based on your shopping habits or online activities. These ads might be served on websites or on apps. They might also be served in emails. We might serve these ads, or third parties may serve ads. They might be about our products or other companies’ products.

How do we gather relevant information about you for interest-based advertising?
To decide what is relevant to you, we use information that you make available to us when you interact with us, our affiliates, and other third parties. We gather this information using the tracking tools described above. For example, we or our partners might look at your purchases or browsing behaviors. We might look at these activities on our platforms or the platforms of others. We work with third parties who help gather this information. These third parties might link your name or email address to other information they collect. That might include past purchases made offline or online. Or, it might include online usage information.

Opting Out of Receiving Seeing Tracking-Based Ads
The Self-Regulatory Program for Online Behavioral Advertising program provides consumers with the ability to opt out of having their online behavior recorded and used for advertising purposes. If you want to opt out from participating companies, visit this page. Choices you make are both browser- and device-specific.
Some of the tracking technologies we may use do not participate in the Self-Regulatory Program for Online Behavioral Advertising. This means you will not be opted out by following the instructions above. Instead, see the chart above to get more information about how to opt out of that tracker’s cookies.
The Digital Advertising Alliance also offers a tool for opting out of the collection of cross-app data on a mobile device for interest-based advertising. To exercise choice for companies participating in this tool, download the AppChoices app here.
If you opt out of online behavioral advertising (or interest-based advertising) or reject cookies, this will not stop you from seeing advertising—this will just not be tailored to your interests and therefore is less likely to be relevant to you.
Certain choices you make are both browser- and device-specific.
Contact: If you have any questions about this cookie policy or our treatment of your personal data, please contact us at privacy@outsidemag.com. You can call us at 312-222-1100. If you would like to write to us, our address is Outside Integrated Media, LLC, 444 North Michigan Ave. Suite 3350, Chicago IL 60611.

Kind of makes the NSA look like small potatoes. Not picking on outsideonline, they all do it. There's a car website I go to everyday that lays between 125 and 160 cookies on me every time I log in.

[Ima Idiot]

Nah, this is all harmless. Shouldn't concern anyone for any reason.

You just don't understand science and technology.

Because you are Amish. Not that being Amish is a bad thing.

[Undertoad]

In my entire online life I have only heard one way tracking wound up being bad for somebody: when they got ads that they wanted to hide from other people for reasons. Like, person A researched pregnancy and got pregnancy-related ads, and person B didn't know person A was pregnant until they watched over person A's shoulder when they were using the web.

[xoxoxoBruce]

I use adblocker but disable it for my regular sites and any newspaper site I land on through a link. yesterday one of my favorite pens ran out of ink so I went to the pen suppliers site looking for a refill but they didn't sell them. Latwer I was on a site where I don't use adblocker and suddenly I'm getting a banner and a side ad from this pen company that were multicolored and FLASHING. Arrrgg
But for the most part, if that's the way they can make a living have at it.
I also wonder what they aren't saying, not paranoid, just curious.

I was surprised at the depth of the spit swapping between the different tracking outfits but as long as they don't tell Mom, fuck it.

[fargon]

I like Ads that are based on my internet searches.

[glatt]

I totally mess with them, searching for all sorts of weird products from work so I can get photo samples of their packaging to submit to the PTO.

Sad thing is, it's my clients who end up spending money trying to sell me shit after I look at their stuff.

[xoxoxoBruce]

They won't take it personally you're just one of the fish that didn't swim into the net.
I don't pay much attention to the ads, but one I remember when I was looking at tires, settled on one brand/model, looked online to see who stocked them and went out and bought them.
For six months I got ads for that tire constantly.