The idiots I have to deal with - ROFL

"A few months ago, everytime I logged onto the XXX (& some other NZ sites) I got this annoying RedSherrif spyware programme hacking into my computer.

Recently, I've noticed that this is not happening, but instead getting a new
cookie called cgi-bin{2}.txt.

I have run some tests, and it seems whenever I logged onto XXX, I get this coming up on my antispyware prog FROM YOUR SITE!

Can u please explain what this prog is, and why are we getting it off your
site.

What makes this very annoying is that today on XXX Technology page, there is an article about how damaging spyware an be, yet XXX are running these themselves.

I consider this an invasion of my privacy and equates to hacking.

I hope you can answer my questions, and stop this from occurring."

reply by saying...

"joo suck at the internet dude"

Dear sir,

I have passed this to technical team and they will investigate the problem.

Charge out rate will be $125/hr, but dont worry our SPYWARE PROG has hacked your bank account details, we'll just take the liberty of deducting this amout from your account.

Thank you and have a nice day.

So I send this reply:
Dear XXX,

The cookie cgi-bin{2}.txt is not a spyware program.

Cookies are not programs, and they cannot run like programs do. Therefore, they cannot gather any information on their own. Nor can they collect any personal information about you from your computer.

Here is a definition of a cookie: A cookie is a piece of text that a Web
server can store on a user's hard disk. Cookies allow a Web site to store
information that the user provides on a user's machine and later retrieve
it.

Kind regards


AND I GET:

Thanks for that, but I have done some research on this particular cookie and it is a tracking cookie gathers info for advertising and tacks users thru
sites.

Therefore is this a form of tracking/spyware.

How come then, that this cookie gets on to my computer every time I log onto XXX? I delete it, but hullo... its like the cat..it comes back.

Is XXX decided to be a form of Big Brother to wach over us? (We have left
1984).


OMFG.

well he's right about red sheriff and I would imagine you're talking about xtra.co.nz or some derivitive of it...

nzoom, nzherald and many other big NZ sites use it

solution? dont use the website or any other large CMS websites in New Zealand

(he's right in that red sheriff uses the same cookie across all sites to track users)

so fucking what!?

geeks

tell him to change his cookie settings...
to BLOCK ALL COOKIES

see how he manages to use the web then

Cookies can data-mine. That's why certain ones show up in Ad-Aware/Spy-Bot. They're not uncommon, a lot of the web's largest advertising programs are based around them eg www.doubleclick.net

oh ffs

that was heresy

Just tell him to unplug the modem from the wall and leave it like that.