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Hi,

 

I've searched the web but can't find a topic similar enough nor a forum exactly tailored to this topic, so I hope it is OK to ask here.

 

Early this morning I was looking at furniture on Sears regular and Outlet websites.  I came back later to see an email that was time stamped 6:01am from Sears with the subject "? We've got a surprise! Thanks for looking

Welcome, and may I say, well done for taking the time to post correctly.

As for the email, I have no idea on how they could do that without any input from you.

Was the information you recieved in almost exact relation to what you were browsing?

Were you signed into a browser at the time?

UPDATE

 

I know I posted only minutes ago, but I just zoomed in to look closer at the incredibly fine print at the bottom of the Sears spam email.  (I just got fitted for multifocal lenses and it is a bear getting used to focusing on small type right now).  Anyhow, here is the privacy disclosure link to the company that seems to be proudly responsible for this apparent email stealing technology (I hope the link is OK to post as it is general and freely available):

 

http://privacy.criteoemail.com/us/privacy-policy.html

 

 

I don't know how they could extract my email from just the related cookies but I assume there may be a way it is encoded into other tracking info from sites where I may have stored my email address or communicated through a web form.  This is scary.  I'm afraid to use their opt-out button.  Will research further.

 

Any experience or opinions with this BS?  Thanks!

Welcome, and may I say, well done for taking the time to post correctly.

As for the email, I have no idea on how they could do that without any input from you.

Was the information you recieved in almost exact relation to what you were browsing?

Were you signed into a browser at the time?

Hi, thanks for the reply.  I've also updated my post which probably explains 'what' is happening, but not 'how'.

 

It appears to be a fairly legitimate looking spam email from Sears, and it includes an inset sofa image, one that I was looking at.  In of itself the ad inset is not surprising, though the email "knowledge" is, and scary as well.  As I tried to describe, this is an email address that is not linked to any type of Gmail or similar cross-linking or social site/plugin/etc.  I was using IE and do have Google as my home page, and do have a Gmail address that may have been logged in (I don't always log out of Gmail, it is just a throwaway account) but at any rate they emailed my primary paid email address that is not linked to anything like what you suggest.

Does your browser support/have do not track enabled? If not it's possible it could have been extracted from a tracking cookie.

Thanks for the reply.  This is a new install on a "write zeroed" HDD, so I am still tweaking everything.  I started immediately with AV and anti malware running constant protection.  I just went into IE options and set 3rd party cookies to 'Prompt' so I can see what comes up.  Unfortunately I had them enabled before this.  AFAIK, "do not track" in IE is only accomplished by restricting cookies.  I could certainly be wrong.

Does your browser support/have do not track enabled? If not it's possible it could have been extracted from a tracking cookie.

DNT is a bit of a useless feature since the whole ignoring IE's option debacle and not many sites even paying attention to it anyway.

Get noscript and disable scripts from running on sites that could things like this, although they'd still know that you looked at items (cookies) they wouldn't get anything like google analytics, and you can browse in private mode to bypass that too.

I get these from newegg or Amazon at times. I'll be browsing. And a few hours later I'll get an email with things similar to what I was browsing.

I get it in my Facebook stream all the time. I'm thinking about writing a program to auto-clear cookies from my caches after each browser closing.

The only plausible explanation I can think of if you weren't logged in is that they already have a browser fingerprint record of your computer (See: https://amiunique.org/ or https://panopticlick.eff.org/

 

Since you said it was a "new W7 installation" rather than a new PC, I'm assuming you just reformatted, in which case your browser fingerprint wouldn't really change as far as I know.

  • Like 1

The only plausible explanation I can think of if you weren't logged in is that they already have a browser fingerprint record of your computer (See: https://amiunique.org/ or https://panopticlick.eff.org/

 

Since you said it was a "new W7 installation" rather than a new PC, I'm assuming you just reformatted, in which case your browser fingerprint wouldn't really change as far as I know.

Thank you, that seems plausible.  I believe that XP installs used to look at unique features like hardware MAC addresses, and saved a code that was generated from all of that data, which became the basis for approving a reinstall on the same machine.  I experimented with that in the early 2000's by necessity, changing out failed hardware devices and reformatting, and never had it fail to certify the copy of XP automatically.  They might have programmed some wiggle room into it.

 

Yes, it was a clean re-installation of W7 Pro on an existing machine, as I recently fell victim to a ransomeware attack.  I cleaned up the virus and restored my files from backups but to be safe felt it was worth the extra effort to reformat and reinstall.  Now I am paranoid about security since I don't even know how I got the ransomware in the first place.  I don't open unknown files or browse seedy sites.  Thanks again for the idea and links about unique browser detection.

Do you have a common name/email?

Have you been into a store? and maybe used their Wifi? Then gone home and used your Wifi? AdvertisingID....

Install Ghostery, Its amazing how many calls to third party API's Trackers and Beacons you get stopped

 

I highly recommend this to anyone.

 

https://www.ghostery.com/en/

 

Its a strange scary old world we live in. 

The only plausible explanation I can think of if you weren't logged in is that they already have a browser fingerprint record of your computer (See: https://amiunique.org/ or https://panopticlick.eff.org/

 

Since you said it was a "new W7 installation" rather than a new PC, I'm assuming you just reformatted, in which case your browser fingerprint wouldn't really change as far as I know.

That's a bit of nonsense really, if it's a fresh install the fingerprint data will show: timezone, IE version, screen resolution, additional software installed (none), language, cookies (none) - what you're trying to say is that the owner of a large domain can take that information and match it up to one user, well no, there will be at a bare minimum 10,000 visitors to the site with the exact same configuration and therefore 'browser fingerprint'.

The most likely scenario is the site was logged into or something from a third party site, then the cookie with/without javascript was used to get finer details and the background email system fired off an email to the account holder.

Do you have a common name/email?

Have you been into a store? and maybe used their Wifi? Then gone home and used your Wifi? AdvertisingID....

Install Ghostery, Its amazing how many calls to third party API's Trackers and Beacons you get stopped

 

I highly recommend this to anyone.

 

https://www.ghostery.com/en/

 

Its a strange scary old world we live in. 

Not common, no.  I don't use public wifi, at least I haven't in a long time.  Thanks for the link, I'll check Ghostery out.

That's a bit of nonsense really, if it's a fresh install the fingerprint data will show: timezone, IE version, screen resolution, additional software installed (none), language, cookies (none) - what you're trying to say is that the owner of a large domain can take that information and match it up to one user, well no, there will be at a bare minimum 10,000 visitors to the site with the exact same configuration and therefore 'browser fingerprint'.

The most likely scenario is the site was logged into or something from a third party site, then the cookie with/without javascript was used to get finer details and the background email system fired off an email to the account holder.

I'm not saying you're wrong, but did you visit the sites I linked? Even if you do a clean install, you're highly likely going to install all the same plugins/software and configure everything the same way. OP did say that it was a "one week old installation" so he would already have everything installed.

I get it in my Facebook stream all the time. I'm thinking about writing a program to auto-clear cookies from my caches after each browser closing.

Why?  All 3 major browsers Firefox, Chrome and even IE have this option already built in.

 

Here is settings in firefox that allow you to clear you cookies when you close your browser, delete them on close, etc.  Both chrome and IE also have settings like this - just showing firefox because that is browser I use 99% of the time.

 

post-14624-0-03497100-1437430261.png

Why?  All 3 major browsers Firefox, Chrome and even IE have this option already built in.

 

Here is settings in firefox that allow you to clear you cookies when you close your browser, delete them on close, etc.  Both chrome and IE also have settings like this - just showing firefox because that is browser I use 99% of the time.

 

attachicon.gifclearcookies.png

You know, I'm one of those standard guppies when it comes to browsers. It works, so I don't mess with it. I never knew FF had this option. Now, to find it on Chrome!

This topic is now closed to further replies.
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Specifications Doro C300 Pro V2 Model Ergonomic Materials Mesh Back and Seat; Soft PU Coated Armrests Height adjustability 45.5 - 53 cm / 17.5" - 20.9" Seat (w+d) 52 x 43 - 47 cm / 20.5" x 16.9" - 18.5" (adjustable) Backrest 52 – 60 cm / 20.5" - 23.6" (adjustable) Lumbar support Mesh built-in (adjustable) Armrest adjustability 8D Bionic Armrests Rocking angle 105°, 120°, 135° (fixed) Neck support Mesh built-in (adjustable) Net weight 27.3 kg / 59.64 lbs Weight support 150 kg / 330 lbs Colors Black, White Warranty 5 years (upon registering) Price $499.99, $539.99 Introduction At first glance, it looks like a chair that in another life wants to be a Herman Miller; It certainly looks like my Aeron Remastered, but the Doro C300 Pro V2 has quite a few more features and costs quite a bit less. SIHOO says that it is made up of a "DynaCore" system that tracks your movement and synchronizes the headrest, backrest, lumbar support, and armrests as you shift, twist, or recline. 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Also, to complicate things further, although all the parts are labeled from A to X (yes, that's 24 parts) unhelpfully, these letters do not appear on the parts themselves or the package with the bolts, screws, and washers. There's also a pair of protective gloves in the box, but I think they were made for much smaller hands than I have. Even my friend, who is 5.1, had difficulty putting them on. Once assembled, I needed to sit down. Anyway, as I said, it looks quite similar to my Herman Miller. And here is the back of it. If you look at the product page and on Amazon, it seems like a lot of thought has gone into the chair itself and what it's capable of, but there is no mention at all about the castors, and this is an area where I think the chair trips up quite quickly. I found it difficult to move the chair in any direction. I asked a friend who came to visit me earlier this week to test my findings, and she said that the wheels were "no good," so it definitely isn't just me. I am 6'2 myself and a big guy, I work from home and gained a few pounds from mostly staying in and the hell away from other people. However, the Doro C300 Pro V2 is rated for up to 150kg (330lbs), which in my case is used well within its max rating. Ergonomics The number of adjustments you can make, right up to setting it in nap mode — which I haven't fully tested yet — is what you'd expect from a premium chair. Yes, you can go up and down (max 7.5 cm adjustment), rock back and forth (with tilt adjustment), and lock the chair between three stages of 105°, 120°, 135°, which is not quite as flat as the AndaSeat I tested at 160°. Some thought has also gone into the "8D" armrests, too, which are cushioned but quite firm; you'll only know it if you press hard into the PU-covered tops, which give about half a centimeter, but it's enough to ensure your skin won't get awkwardly stuck to it in warmer (or sweatier) conditions. It almost feels like plastic and is very easy to keep clean. 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In all honesty, they are just hollow metal tubes, so it is not recommended to let a kid sit on them. I also feel like it doesn't really go out far enough for my height, so that kind of puts the dampener on me being able to use it regularly. I'll just have to continue to use my subwoofer as a footrest! I do not like the armrests being able to shift around as easily as they can, and they are a little too forward-positioned in the chair to comfortably sit close to my desk, because even in the lowest height position, they don't allow me to go under the desk like is possible with my Herman Miller. I also feel like this chair could have been delivered partially constructed, especially the armrests on the seat, and why the aluminum base wasn't already pre-constructed (without the castors) is baffling, considering it would have fit in one of the two boxes that way. The instructions also need to be clearer. 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Check out Today's Deals on Amazon | or our recent tech deals. Become a Prime member (for Students or SNAP) via Neowin Get Prime Access - Prime for half price (for qualifying Medicaid, EBT, SNAP) Subscribe to Prime Video, Audible Plus, Music Unlimited or Kindle Unlimited via Neowin As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
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