Spammed By Tracking Beacons

Reading an email could be an unhealthy diet for your computer and YOU!
by: James A. Warholic

Email advertising is becoming more intrusive everyday. People are packing emails with everything from cookies, JavaSript, Flash advertisements, and even the new tracking beacons. Tracking beacons are a type of web beacon bug that actually are embedded in the e mail or website.

Tracking beacons embedded in an email carry serious privacy concerns. Information is transmitted back to the sender with identifiable information, plus every time the message is viewed, the information is re-broadcasted to the senders site.

Imagine if you receive a message forwarded to you from a friend and unbeknownst to anyone reading it, that information is being tracked back to the sender about you or your friend.

How To Fight Back

Vigilance is probably the most important thing in order to help protect yourself and your computer. Do not forward spam. Do not open unsolicited email without first checking it through an email notification type program. These types of programs allow you to filter out the spam before downloading it to your main program. If any suspicious messages are seen here, simply delete them before downloading to your computer.

Thoughts

This intrusive type of activity is on the rise. ISPs & businesses are starting to block a large percentage of emails received, even to the point of blocking significant emails from reputable companies. Email marketing costs can be significant, while the success of the advertising e-mail campaign is impacted by the lack of delivery.

There are other forms of online advertising that can be effective and not have the same intrusive nature as above.

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