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You're right. Google changed the way they did images a while back to prevent email image marketers who used to track when the user opened an email using a 1pix

You're right. Google changed the way they did images a while back to prevent email image marketers who used to track when the user opened an email using a 1pixel transparent image downloads.

hoorayimhelping 11y ago
They changed about two years ago to run all images sent to a gmail address through their servers (and presumably store them). It specifically didn't effect marketing though. I was working in email marketing at the time and there was some temporary gnashing of teeth but this was not much more than a blip. https://blog.filippo.io/how-the-new-gmail-image-proxy-works-and-what-this-means-for-you/ https://blog.filippo.io/how-the-new-gmail-image-proxy-works-...
andreyf 11y ago
"1x1 transparent pixel" is called a "tracking pixel". Gmail still allows marketers to track when a user opens an email (even better than before, since it no longer asks users whether they want to load images). However, they proxy the request so that the tracking pixel host no longer gets the user's IP address or third party cookies.
- nileshtrivedi 11y ago
  Where can I read more about this? Doesn't this help spammers? I thought I was safe if I disable auto-loading of images!
  - andrewguenther 11y ago
    Then don't open spam? I don't think a spam email has made it to my inbox in almost 5 years. Google's proxy protects your private data and only informs the sender that the email has been opened. I would hardly call that "unsafe"
  - ZoF 11y ago
    You're safe either way, but if you have autoloading disabled they still can't track that you've read until you load the images. The change is that clicking to load images is no longer the default [0] Do you get enough spam on your Gmail for this to be a worry point? Genuinely curious; I get roughly zero. [0]http://www.wired.com/2013/12/turn-gmail-auto-image-loading-off/ http://www.wired.com/2013/12/turn-gmail-auto-image-loading-o...
    - noja 11y ago
      > You're safe either way Eh? Before they used track-me.example.com/IDHERE and got blocked, now they use IDHERE.track-me.example.com and don't get blocked. Move the unique ID to DNS and Google will let it through.
      - ZoF 11y ago
        I assumed by safe you meant something else. Yes if you load images they can track that you have opened the email. I fail to see how that is 'unsafe' though. It's expected functionality.
        noja 11y ago
        It's expected that they can track you, when before they blocked the images to prevent that?

You're right. Google changed the way they did images a while back to prevent email image marketers who used to track when the user opened an email using a 1pixel transparent image downloads.

hoorayimhelping 11y ago

They changed about two years ago to run all images sent to a gmail address through their servers (and presumably store them). It specifically didn't effect marketing though. I was working in email marketing at the time and there was some temporary gnashing of teeth but this was not much more than a blip. https://blog.filippo.io/how-the-new-gmail-image-proxy-works-and-what-this-means-for-you/ https://blog.filippo.io/how-the-new-gmail-image-proxy-works-...

andreyf 11y ago

"1x1 transparent pixel" is called a "tracking pixel". Gmail still allows marketers to track when a user opens an email (even better than before, since it no longer asks users whether they want to load images). However, they proxy the request so that the tracking pixel host no longer gets the user's IP address or third party cookies.

nileshtrivedi 11y ago
Where can I read more about this? Doesn't this help spammers? I thought I was safe if I disable auto-loading of images!
- andrewguenther 11y ago
  Then don't open spam? I don't think a spam email has made it to my inbox in almost 5 years. Google's proxy protects your private data and only informs the sender that the email has been opened. I would hardly call that "unsafe"
- ZoF 11y ago
  You're safe either way, but if you have autoloading disabled they still can't track that you've read until you load the images. The change is that clicking to load images is no longer the default [0] Do you get enough spam on your Gmail for this to be a worry point? Genuinely curious; I get roughly zero. [0]http://www.wired.com/2013/12/turn-gmail-auto-image-loading-off/ http://www.wired.com/2013/12/turn-gmail-auto-image-loading-o...
  - noja 11y ago
    > You're safe either way Eh? Before they used track-me.example.com/IDHERE and got blocked, now they use IDHERE.track-me.example.com and don't get blocked. Move the unique ID to DNS and Google will let it through.
    - ZoF 11y ago
      I assumed by safe you meant something else. Yes if you load images they can track that you have opened the email. I fail to see how that is 'unsafe' though. It's expected functionality.
      - noja 11y ago
        It's expected that they can track you, when before they blocked the images to prevent that?