3 ms·

I wouldn't touch Ghostery with a long pole. Their parent company - Evidon - is suspicious. The FAQ on the site is choke-full of weasel words and wishy-washy st

I wouldn't touch Ghostery with a long pole. Their parent company - Evidon - is suspicious. The FAQ on the site is choke-full of weasel words and wishy-washy statements on how they are not an "ad company" but rather an "ad assurance company". Skimpy on actual details too. They have changed their About summary now, but not long ago it basically said that they are in business of delivering better advertisement experience to the advertisers. Just ask yourself if instead of being tracked by multiple entities, you are OK with being tracked by one that gets your data resold to others. They are not a non-profit, so - as cliche as it sounds - you are their product.

aaaron 15y ago
Ghostery has a secondary purpose. It's also "the eyes in the sky" that the ad industry will use to monitor and enforce self-regulation. In other words, it will collect data to ensure that ad companies are complying and affixing proper opt-out mechanisms to behaviorally-targeted ads.
- huhtenberg 15y ago
  Riiight.
- Ghostery 15y ago
  Adam from Ghostery/Evidon here. First:Thanks very much to everyone that uses Ghostery here! This thread has been a great read for us. Aaron is correct.. Ghostery works in the same way NPR works, only with data. Users can opt into data collection in Ghostery's options. Also, even if they do, we go to great lengths to make sure that all of the data are anonymous and only used in aggregate. The extension will never collect anything if you don't volunteer it. The data are used in all sorts of ways to make the internet a better place, and to help us make money. For instance, website owners can use the data to see what 3rd party scripts are running on their sites and eliminate them. This saves load time, prevents data leakage to leeches, and - most importantly - allows them to provide a layer of privacy for their users. The BBB also uses aggregated Ghostery data to monitor self-regulatory efforts - thanks to our awesome panel volunteers we can literally "track the trackers." More info: http://mygho.st/D http://mygho.st/D My contact if you have any questions: adam _ at ghostery _dotcom
ghostwords 15y ago
Hi, I am a developer of Ghostery. Ghostery does not track its users; Ghostery tracks third-party page elements. The GhostRank panel is strictly opt-in. For an example of what GhostRank makes possible, see http://www.knowyourelements.com/ http://www.knowyourelements.com/ For more information on Ghostery, Evidon and GhostRank, see http://www.ghostery.com/faq http://www.ghostery.com/faq
Silhouette 15y ago
What exactly is your problem with Ghostery? I've used it for some time, quite happy to have it block the numerous tracker things that otherwise spy on me and/or add bulk to my downloads. I've never noticed anything in their privacy policies that gave me concern, and I'm normally quite picky about such things.
gyardley 15y ago
What a bizarre conspiracy theory. I know some of the people at Evidon rather well. They provide a mechanism that allows individuals to opt-out of behaviorally-targeted advertising via an icon in the advertisement. In other words, the company makes it easier for individuals not to be tracked. You might not be paying Evidon directly - the ad networks that use their tools do that - but that doesn't mean you're the product. 'Keeping the FTC off your ass' is the product. Since the FTC is a pain, that product's worth a fair amount of money. As far as I know, all Ghostery collects (if you opt-in) is which trackers appear on which page. It's a simple way for large organizations too screwed up to know which tags are on which pages (in other words, most large organizations) figure out if they're complying with the FTC regulations.

aaaron 15y ago

Ghostery has a secondary purpose. It's also "the eyes in the sky" that the ad industry will use to monitor and enforce self-regulation. In other words, it will collect data to ensure that ad companies are complying and affixing proper opt-out mechanisms to behaviorally-targeted ads.

huhtenberg 15y ago
Riiight.
Ghostery 15y ago
Adam from Ghostery/Evidon here. First:Thanks very much to everyone that uses Ghostery here! This thread has been a great read for us. Aaron is correct.. Ghostery works in the same way NPR works, only with data. Users can opt into data collection in Ghostery's options. Also, even if they do, we go to great lengths to make sure that all of the data are anonymous and only used in aggregate. The extension will never collect anything if you don't volunteer it. The data are used in all sorts of ways to make the internet a better place, and to help us make money. For instance, website owners can use the data to see what 3rd party scripts are running on their sites and eliminate them. This saves load time, prevents data leakage to leeches, and - most importantly - allows them to provide a layer of privacy for their users. The BBB also uses aggregated Ghostery data to monitor self-regulatory efforts - thanks to our awesome panel volunteers we can literally "track the trackers." More info: http://mygho.st/D http://mygho.st/D My contact if you have any questions: adam _ at ghostery _dotcom

ghostwords 15y ago

Hi, I am a developer of Ghostery. Ghostery does not track its users; Ghostery tracks third-party page elements. The GhostRank panel is strictly opt-in. For an example of what GhostRank makes possible, see http://www.knowyourelements.com/ http://www.knowyourelements.com/ For more information on Ghostery, Evidon and GhostRank, see http://www.ghostery.com/faq http://www.ghostery.com/faq

Silhouette 15y ago

What exactly is your problem with Ghostery? I've used it for some time, quite happy to have it block the numerous tracker things that otherwise spy on me and/or add bulk to my downloads. I've never noticed anything in their privacy policies that gave me concern, and I'm normally quite picky about such things.

gyardley 15y ago

What a bizarre conspiracy theory. I know some of the people at Evidon rather well. They provide a mechanism that allows individuals to opt-out of behaviorally-targeted advertising via an icon in the advertisement. In other words, the company makes it easier for individuals not to be tracked. You might not be paying Evidon directly - the ad networks that use their tools do that - but that doesn't mean you're the product. 'Keeping the FTC off your ass' is the product. Since the FTC is a pain, that product's worth a fair amount of money. As far as I know, all Ghostery collects (if you opt-in) is which trackers appear on which page. It's a simple way for large organizations too screwed up to know which tags are on which pages (in other words, most large organizations) figure out if they're complying with the FTC regulations.