Web Bugs

This nearly undetectable cousin of the cookie is an electronic tag that helps Web sites and advertisers track visitors' whereabouts in cyberspace without their knowing it.

Most computers have cookies, which are placed on a person's hard drive when a banner ad is displayed or a person signs up for an online service. Savvy Web surfers know they are being tracked when they see a banner ad. But people can't see Web bugs, and anticookie filters won't catch them. So the Web bugs wind up tracking surfers in areas online where banner ads are not present or on sites where people may not expect to be trailed.

Ad networks and agencies say cookies and other tracking devices are used to help both consumers and Web sites. Under fire from privacy advocates, ad executives have consistently said the information collected is kept private and is the sole property of the company that is being advertised.

Web bugs can also be used in e-mail. For example, companies can send a bulk HTML e-mail newsletter that has Web bugs, which will determine how many people read the letter, how often they read it, and whether they forward it to anyone. The email could include your email address in the URL or a coded ID or encrypted email address to track when you opened it.

For further information on Web bugs, see http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1007-200-2247960.html.

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