No subject

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Wiretapping, E-Mail Style

A couple of months ago, we told you about how e-mail tracking technology ca=
n
surreptitiously reveal to senders when and how often recipients read and
forward a message. Turns out, it doesn't end there.

On some e-mail apps, simple JavaScript code can capture the text of
forwarded messages and secretly send the content of that communication back
to the sender, according to a Privacy Foundation report. The privacy
ramifications are obvious. Anyone familiar enough with JavaScript can send =
a
message -- say, a business proposal -- to a company employee and then read
the subsequent "internal" communications between executives. Spammers could
forward something as simple as a joke message and harvest the e-mail
addresses of those unfortunate enough to have the joke forwarded to them.

It's pretty easy to do," says Privacy Foundation COO Andy Cervantes. "If
someone were in business negotiations and sent a company an e-mail with
their side of the negotiations, and [the company] then forwarded the e-mail
internally, it gives them a huge advantage."

For the tap to work, the original e-mail recipient and those forwarded the
message must be using an HTML/JavaScript enabled reader, such as Netscape
Messenger 6, Outlook 2000 or Outlook Express 5. Netscape and Microsoft don'=
t
turn off JavaScript code by default in their e-mail products, but users of
the software can. To learn how, visit vvww.privacyfoundation.org.

But even those who disable HTML and JavaScript can act as virtual "carriers=
"
of the bugged e-mails. After all, the code, embedded in the original
sender's message, doesn't disappear merely because someone along the line
turned off the HTML.

=8BTed Kemp

In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distribute=
d
without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving th=
e
included information for research and educational purposes.

     ___________________________________________________
     Kevin McKeown            |  Santa Monica, CA  (USA)
     email: kevin at mckeown.net |  310 393-3639 /-3609 FAX
     http://www.mckeown.net   | "Choose to be conscious"
     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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