To all listers; This is important to all who access ancestry.com and the new boards that was formerly Genconnect. Rootsweb has veridied that it is a bad bug and nothing can be done about it. they are working on it at this time. ....................................................... Sent: Monday, July 16, 2001 10:25 AM Subject: [ALL-L] Fwd: RE: Accessing Ancestry and Surname Boards Forwarded with Sheryl's permission - Carol I think everyone should understand a little about what is being required for you to access the former RootsWeb and now Ancestry message boards. We should all understand what we are doing. Ancestry requires 11 cookies (excessive for any web site) to be placed on your computer before you can access their home page. You may decline these 11 if you have your browser set to ask you first. You will be asked to accept another 11 if you click on the Message Boards link that takes you to the Message Board home page. If you decline those, you will NOT be permitted to access the Message Boards. (That means any of your list/board users who have their computers set to reject cookies will not be able to use the boards-PERIOD). You do have the option to set your browser to accept only per-session cookies, which will eliminate SOME of the advertiser tracking. Some of the cookies Ancestry uses involve your userid (dated to stay on your computer until Dec 31, 2020), others are coded to be removed from your computer at the end of your session on the web site. BUT, at the present, Ancestry uses two of the major Internet advertising agencies to track consumer preferences, and there are some major problems here: 1) Ancestry uses DoubleClick and AdForce to track and customize their advertising. Both these companies plant a cookie in your computer that generally stays for years and tracks you (generally by code number, not name) anywhere on the internet where their company handles placing ads. They compile a cumulative profile on each individual user. On any of those sites, DoubleClick will know it is you (personally) every click of the way. 2) Because of pressure from public outcry and the Government, both of these companies have adopted policies where you can opt out of having a tracking cookie by having it replaced with a "dummy" cookie. They advise all companies who use their advertising to let their consumers know they use the company to track their advertising trends, that the consumer can opt out of being tracked, and advise the company to attach a link to the advertising company's Privacy Policy page where consumers can opt out. Ancestry has chosen not to do this at this time. I don't know whether this is a conscious choice or oversight. 3) There are some major problems with the potential for abuse by these companies. Please read the CNET news article on DoubleClick below. I urge everyone to let your posters know if they use Ancestry as it is now, they are being tracked with all it's inherent dangers (educate yourselves at TopClick.com). Also, those users who do not permit cookies to be installed into their computers are being turned away at the doors, just as when the policy was that you MUST log in to use the boards. This is a rare policy on the internet, especially for the type of service Ancestry provides. It's time to ask loudly for more changes. They listened on the log-in issue, maybe they will on this one also. You can make your feelings known by sending an e-mail to webmaster@rootsweb.com. Make the first word of your subject line: LISTEN and it will get delivered to administration who makes the decisions. I'm not trying to stir up trouble here or badmouth Ancestry. I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt and assume that they haven't looked at all sides of this issue and are willing to listen to what we, their volunteer leadership, have to say. I have sent a personal appeal to the webmaster and am copying them on this post also. --Sheryl Neal Slaughter Here are excerpts from an article from CNET News.com on DoubleClick: ----------------------------------------------------------------- - --------- DoubleClick seeks input on new policy By Stefanie Olsen Staff Writer, CNET News.com June 4, 2001, 4:35 p.m. PT New York-based DoubleClick, the Web's biggest advertising and ad technology company, posted its new privacy policy last week.... With the new policy, DoubleClick does not promise to change any of the practices that have drawn barbs from consumer advocates such as a controversial requirement that consumers "opt out" of its programs to avoid having data collected. But the policy does spell out more clearly how it collects consumer data and what it does with that information. ... DoubleClick has been in the hot seat for privacy issues for nearly a year and a half following its acquisition of Abacus Direct, an offline marketing company. Privacy advocates started to bite their nails after the company announced plans to merge offline consumer profiles with data about online surfing habits. The proposal touched off a flurry of media attention and scrutiny from lawmakers about profiling practices on the Web.... Despite the controversy, DoubleClick has said that it plans to launch an anonymous customer profile service, which would gather data about Web surfers and match it to offline data from Abacus. Polonetsky said the company has received hundreds of responses to its new policy since it was posted Friday... One of the most barbed responses came in the form of an open letter from anti-spam group Junkbusters. In the letter, Junkbusters President Jason Catlett dismissed the DoubleClick's claims of penness as propaganda. "I have repeatedly asked DoubleClick to show the 88 million Americans what is kept in Doubleclick's Abacus Direct database about them, and I have met with repeated refusal," according to Catlett's objections contained in the letter. "How could keeping billions of records in secret electronic dossiers constitute executing business in 'the most open manner possible?'" In the letter, Catlett asks for several revisions to the policy, including that DoubleClick obtain consumer consent before collecting data on an individual, or getting consumers to "opt in." He also asks that DoubleClick give consumers access to the data and the right to delete anything they so choose. DoubleClick's new policy outlines practices in its revamped e-mail marketing business, which after two acquisitions, is the largest in the industry. The policy also tells consumers ow they can opt out of being tracked by cookies and how not to receive catalogs from Abacus. In addition, it gives consumers an idea of what a marketing profile looks like, but does not give access to those profiles. Richard Smith, chief technology officer of the nonprofit Privacy Foundation, said that he is still reviewing the policy but that it "appears to be much more thorough than the older one." However, Smith said he "fundamentally disagrees" with the consumers having to opt out of data gathering practices by Internet companies. "If you're snooping on people, you've got to let them know," Smith said. The Privacy Foundation and DoubleClick "will have to agree to disagree" on their opt-out policy, he said. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get personalized email addresses from Yahoo! Mail http://personal.mail.yahoo.com/

If this is true, why weren't we notified?? Linda ----- Original Message ----- From: "Esse Frye" <elfen87@yahoo.com> To: <INGEN-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Monday, July 16, 2001 9:36 PM Subject: [INGEN] Ancestry.com cookies > To all listers; > > This is important to all who access ancestry.com and > the new boards that was formerly Genconnect. > > Rootsweb has veridied that it is a bad bug and nothing > can be done about it. they are working on it at this > time. > > ....................................................... > Sent: Monday, July 16, 2001 10:25 AM > Subject: [ALL-L] Fwd: RE: Accessing Ancestry and > Surname Boards > > > Forwarded with Sheryl's permission - > > Carol > > > I think everyone should understand a little about what > is being > required for you to access the former RootsWeb and now > Ancestry > message boards. We should all understand what we are > doing. > > Ancestry requires 11 cookies (excessive for any web > site) to be > placed on your computer before you can access their > home page. > You > may decline these 11 if you have your browser set to > ask you > first. You will be asked to accept another 11 if you > click on the > Message Boards link that takes you to the Message > Board home > page. > If you decline those, you will NOT be permitted to > access the > Message Boards. (That means any of your list/board > users who have > their computers set to reject cookies will not be able > to use the > boards-PERIOD). You do have the option to set your > browser to > accept only per-session cookies, which will eliminate > SOME of the > advertiser tracking. > > Some of the cookies Ancestry uses involve your userid > (dated to > stay on your computer until Dec 31, 2020), others are > coded to be > removed from your computer at the end of your session > on the web > site. BUT, at the present, Ancestry uses two of the > major > Internet > advertising agencies to track consumer preferences, > and there are > some major problems here: > > 1) Ancestry uses DoubleClick and AdForce to track and > customize > their advertising. Both these companies plant a cookie > in your > computer that generally stays for years and tracks you > (generally > by code number, not name) anywhere on the internet > where their > company handles placing ads. They compile a cumulative > profile on > each individual user. On any of those sites, > DoubleClick will > know > it is you (personally) every click of the way. > > 2) Because of pressure from public outcry and the > Government, > both > of these companies have adopted policies where you can > opt out of > having a tracking cookie by having it replaced with a > "dummy" > cookie. They advise all companies who use their > advertising to > let > their consumers know they use the company to track > their > advertising trends, that the consumer can opt out of > being > tracked, and advise the company to attach a link to > the > advertising company's Privacy Policy page where > consumers can opt > out. Ancestry has chosen not to do this at this time. > I don't > know > whether this is a conscious choice or oversight. > > 3) There are some major problems with the potential > for abuse by > these companies. Please read the CNET news article on > DoubleClick > below. > > I urge everyone to let your posters know if they use > Ancestry as > it is now, they are being tracked with all it's > inherent dangers > (educate yourselves at TopClick.com). Also, those > users who do > not > permit cookies to be installed into their computers > are being > turned away at the doors, just as when the policy was > that you > MUST log in to use the boards. This is a rare policy > on the > internet, especially for the type of service Ancestry > provides. > > It's time to ask loudly for more changes. They > listened on the > log-in issue, maybe they will on this one also. You > can make your > feelings known by sending an e-mail to > webmaster@rootsweb.com. > Make the first word of your subject line: LISTEN and > it will get > delivered to administration who makes the decisions. > I'm not > trying to stir up trouble here or badmouth Ancestry. > I'm going to > give them the benefit of the doubt and assume that > they haven't > looked at all sides of this issue and are willing to > listen to > what we, their volunteer leadership, have to say. I > have sent a > personal appeal to the webmaster and am copying them > on this post > also. > > --Sheryl Neal Slaughter > > Here are excerpts from an article from CNET News.com > on > DoubleClick: > > > ----------------------------------------------------------------- > - > --------- > DoubleClick seeks input on new policy > By Stefanie Olsen > Staff Writer, CNET News.com > June 4, 2001, 4:35 p.m. PT > > New York-based DoubleClick, the Web's biggest > advertising and ad > technology company, posted its new privacy policy last > week.... > With the new policy, DoubleClick does not promise to > change any > of > the practices that have drawn barbs from consumer > advocates such > as a controversial requirement that consumers "opt > out" of its > programs to avoid having data collected. But the > policy does > spell > out more clearly how it collects consumer data and > what it does > with that information. ... > > DoubleClick has been in the hot seat for privacy > issues for > nearly > a year and a half following its acquisition of Abacus > Direct, an > offline marketing company. Privacy advocates started > to bite > their > nails after the company announced plans to merge > offline consumer > profiles with data about online surfing habits. The > proposal > touched off a flurry of media attention and scrutiny > from > lawmakers about profiling practices on the Web.... > Despite the controversy, DoubleClick has said that it > plans to > launch an anonymous customer profile service, which > would gather > data about Web surfers and match it to offline data > from Abacus. > > Polonetsky said the company has received hundreds of > responses to > its new policy since it was posted Friday... One of > the most > barbed responses came in the form of an open letter > from > anti-spam > group Junkbusters. In the letter, Junkbusters > President Jason > Catlett dismissed the DoubleClick's claims of penness > as > propaganda. > > "I have repeatedly asked DoubleClick to show the 88 > million > Americans what is kept in Doubleclick's Abacus Direct > database > about them, and I have met with repeated refusal," > according to > Catlett's objections contained in the letter. > > "How could keeping billions of records in secret > electronic > dossiers constitute executing business in 'the most > open manner > possible?'" > > In the letter, Catlett asks for several revisions to > the policy, > including that DoubleClick obtain consumer consent > before > collecting data on an individual, or getting consumers > to "opt > in." He also asks that DoubleClick give consumers > access to the > data and the right to delete anything they so choose. > > DoubleClick's new policy outlines practices in its > revamped > e-mail > marketing business, which after two acquisitions, is > the largest > in the industry. The policy also tells consumers ow > they can opt > out of being tracked by cookies and how not to receive > catalogs > from Abacus. In addition, it gives consumers an idea > of what a > marketing profile looks like, but does not give access > to those > profiles. > > Richard Smith, chief technology officer of the > nonprofit Privacy > Foundation, said that he is still reviewing the policy > but that > it > "appears to be much more thorough than the older one." > However, > Smith said he "fundamentally disagrees" with the > consumers having > to opt out of data gathering practices by Internet > companies. > "If you're snooping on people, you've got to let them > know," > Smith > said. The Privacy Foundation and DoubleClick "will > have to agree > to disagree" on their opt-out policy, he said. > > > __________________________________________________ > Do You Yahoo!? > Get personalized email addresses from Yahoo! Mail > http://personal.mail.yahoo.com/ > > > ==== INGEN Mailing List ==== > Reminder: Enter the name of the Indiana county in the posting to the > INGEN List. It may help find your ancestor sooner! > > ============================== > Search over 1 Billion names at Ancestry.com! > http://www.ancestry.com/rd/rwlist1.asp > >