[8288] in bugtraq
Re: Netscape "What's Related"
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Michael Tomaino)
Mon Oct 26 12:14:17 1998
Date: Fri, 23 Oct 1998 18:15:10 -0700
Reply-To: Michael Tomaino <tomaino@UNIXG.UBC.CA>
From: Michael Tomaino <tomaino@UNIXG.UBC.CA>
To: BUGTRAQ@NETSPACE.ORG
"Flemming S. Johansen" wrote:
>
> Starting with version 4.06, the Netscape browser has a new "What's
> Related?" button next to the Location: field. After having tried it
> in the new 4.5, I am more than a little worried by the functionality
> behind it.
"Flemming S. Johansen" wrote:
>
> Starting with version 4.06, the Netscape browser has a new "What's
> Related?" button next to the Location: field. After having tried it
> in the new 4.5, I am more than a little worried by the functionality
> behind it.
> The default setting is "Always". So, the unsuspecting user who upgrades
> to the latest Netscape will automatically and unknowingly begin sending
> out a detailed log of pages viewed.
>
> Netscapes privacy statement notwithstanding, I don't like the fact that
> anyone is able to compile a list of every single web page I visit. I
> don't like the fact that someone with a sniffer anywhere on the path
> from here to netscape.com is able to do so either. And the company I
> work for is not too thrilled about the name of every single document on
> our internal, not-for-public-viewing web server leaking out on the Net,
> once our users begin installing this release on their PCs.
>
> I would like to control this "feature" globally for my LAN, but as far
> as I can see, there are only two ways of doing it: Fascist control of
> Netscape preferences settings on every PC on my LAN, or block
> www-rl.netscape.com in the firewall.
>
> --
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> Flemming S. Johansen
> fsj@terma.com
An upgrade install of v4.5 over top of v4.07 gave a default of "After
first use" for this setting on my windows 98 install.
I have never touched this setting so I am assuming that v4.5 must set
that as the default.
Which is more acceptable.
