Propagation of unintentionally shared information and online tracking

Authors

  • Rath Kanha Sar Charles Sturt University
  • Yeslam Al-Saggaf Charles Sturt University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5210/fm.v18i6.4349

Keywords:

tracking, social network sites, online, internet, http cookies,

Abstract

Various pieces of information are being shared online while users browse the Internet. Previous studies have demonstrated that as social networking sites (SNS) became popular, the information being leaked or shared is becoming more personal (including names and e-mail addresses). Users’ information is being shared or leaked from visited sites (both SNS and non-SNS) to third party sites (such as advertisers) in a number of ways including via the HTTP header. The intent of this study is identify the privacy implications of browsing the Internet within a single browsing session of a group of commonly visited sites (both SNS and non-SNS) doing activities common among most online users. We analysed the HTTP headers resulting from the first author’s browsing and reported on the types of information being shared or leaked, and to whom. We observed that within just a single browsing session of some sites, both the user’s identifiable and non-identifiable information are being leaked to various third party sites and also propagated to more than just one level of third party site. We also found that some SNS are also able to track user’s browsing activities not only within the SNS but also beyond it -particularly among web sites that use SNS widgets.

Author Biographies

Rath Kanha Sar, Charles Sturt University

Rath Kanha Sar is a PhD candidate in the School of Computing and Mathematics at Charles Sturt University. Her research focuses on the privacy issues raised by the use of social network sites. She has given several presentations about her research including at international conferences.

Yeslam Al-Saggaf, Charles Sturt University

Yeslam Al-Saggaf is a Research Fellow at the Centre for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics (CAPPE) and a Senior Lecturer in Information Technology at the School of Computing and Mathematics, Charles Sturt University. His research interests lie in the areas of privacy in social media and ICT ethics. He has published in those areas in a number of international refereed journals as well as presenting at a number of international conferences.

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Published

2013-05-20

How to Cite

Sar, R. K., & Al-Saggaf, Y. (2013). Propagation of unintentionally shared information and online tracking. First Monday, 18(6). https://doi.org/10.5210/fm.v18i6.4349