What is a web bug?

A web bug is a tiny graphic or GIF file attached on e-mails or web pages used by companies or advertisers to track and monitor Internet surfers' activities. Web bugs are typically 1x1 pixels in size, similar to a period at the end of this sentence.

pros and cons of web bugs

Creating a Web bug is a fairly simple technique that takes advantage of log entries generated automatically when a viewer calls up an image on a web site. The site's log capture the visiting computer's Internet Protocol address, the Web page viewed and the time. [4] As stated by Craig Nathan, chief technology officer for privacy start-up Meconomy.com and former technician liaison for Personify, a web bug “is like a beacon, so that every time you hit a Web page it sends a ping or call-back to the server saying ‘Hi, this is who I am and this is where I am.'” [3]

Web bugs are used to provide statistics on how many people visited a particular site or on web browsers being used on different sites on the Internet. Web bugs also collecting certain information that ranges from simple e-mail addresses to more personal information such as home addresses.

With these tracking devices in e-mails and web sites, the information retrieved by companies or advertisers are being used as data collection. These data are then recorded into the companies' site or advertisers' site for future references when needed.

The good thing about these tracking devices are that they are similar to an Internet cookie where all the information a Internet user may have previously typed in will be memorized into the server for future use. But the bad side of this is that since it's already recorded into the server, hackers or other web bugs can retrieve the same information the Internet user has typed without their notice of it which raises concerns of being unethical or maybe invasion of privacy.

Unethical/privacy concerns

Internet users are now concern with this little critters capability. As small as this bug maybe, advertisers have stated that acquiring all this information is harmless to the Internet users. In fact, they also stated that this is all for marketing research and tracking effectiveness of their web sites. “The danger of that is that if you were going to a site on yeast infections, the second it loads up, before the screed loads, somewhere in the world the fact that you visited the site is now registered. That's the evil of Web bugs,” said Ira Rothken, a lawyer at the technology-oriented Rothken Law Firm. [3]

Web bugs has stirred up controversies of not being illegal, however it is clear that it is unethical and an invasion of privacy. Collecting demographic information itself isn't unethical, as long as the Internet users are aware of such tracking of information being recorded each time they visited a page with a web bug. “Web bugs are like carbon monoxide for Internet privacy,” said Jason Catlett, a privacy advocate with Junkbusters. “You can't see them, but they can damage your privacy anyway.” [3] Therefore I feel that these companies and advertisers should propose a notification or small text of these web bugs are in such and such pages for a study or statistic data. Most of us wouldn't give a care about it anyways but the fact that these companies are taking this information without our notice could do more harm to us than we can image. According to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (www.nist.gov), the most common threats to computer systems included threats to personal privacy. [5]

pest control

Indeed, the growing concern has lead to better ideas. A way to end the bug invasion into our personal lives for good. Hotmail and Microsoft Outlook have recently provided a new tool that would block Web bugs placed inside e-mail messages. To this new feature would help Internet users block unwanted Web bugs through e-mails only. But what about the sites? Yes, there is also help here too. Bugnosis is a software that detects Web bugs through the Internet Explorer version 5.0 or higher only. Bugnosis is able to detect whether it's a bad bug or good bug but it doesn't kill it. Other software that would block out the Web bugs may include Guidescope , WebWasher or AdSubtract . [1] So the next time you turn on your computer to surf the Internet, be sure to think twice before entering the site.