ITinfo: MS Word Allows Internet Tracking Cookies

MS Word Privacy Hole

Inserted images open the door

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MS Word Allows Internet Tracking Cookies

by Dave Murphy
ISSN 1535-3613

Microsoft Word 97/2000 allows graphic images in documents, big deal -- this is old news. And many users also know how to insert hyperlinks into documents, ho hum.

But here's a new twist. Word users can also insert a graphic image into a document that's not part of the document but a link to the source graphic on a website (somewhere out on the net).

I never gave it much thought -- the bandwidth most users have on their local area networks exceeds their Internet bandwidth, so why not copy the graphic (assuming there's not copyright infringement) down to the network server and link the graphic locally. Sounds pretty neat, until I got thinking about the possibilities after reading a couple of other news reports on this subject last night and this morning.

Since a graphic file request made to a webserver would generate an access log entry, the webmaster of the hosting site would be able to tell from which IP address the document's graphic image has been requested. And it's a pretty simple matter to figure out where an IP address originates. Basically, the webmaster can tell which organization is reading the document.

I don't want some unknown webmaster tracking which documents I'm reading. It's none of his (or her) business.And since the graphic image could be just a 1x1 pixel, transparent or white image, I may not even notice that the image is part of the document.

Imagine the possibilities. Authors can insert tiny graphic images linked back to their webserver and so they can track who's reading their documents (has an loose-lipped employee slipped the 10-year business plan to a competitor?).

And the hyperlinked graphic can also be used to generate a cookie entry on the readers' computer.

I love technology, but I'm not too sure about all this privacy-busting stuff. I need some time to think it over and talk it through. I'm off to Florida to present a Train the Trainer seminar, and my family and I will work in a week's vacation, too. I'll run this privacy stuff past my Dad while we're visiting. No matter how old we are, some how everything becomes clearer when we talk it over with our parents.

See you in a bit over a week.

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updated August 31, 2000
http://dgl.com/itinfo/2000/it000831.html