Another 'feature' of javascript

[Xairbusdriver]

Seems 'hackers' aren't the only entrepreneurs using the interwebs for fun and profit. Attempting to garner some of the monies made by giants like Google, a company called Tynt, claims to provide a 'service' that tracks what viewers copy and paste from their clients websites. <DaringFireball article>

<TechCrunch> thinks it's the best thing since Wi-Fi. Apparently, it doesn't work with Location box copies! Or my domain blocker is already working...

Here's some "info" in Tynt:

QUOTE

Tynt Multimedia Inc. is focused on driving new revenue opportunities for content publishers by increasing traffic, increasing onsite user engagement, providing new methods of content discovery, offering a new option for ad delivery, and providing unique insights into user engagement. Tynt Multimedia is VC-backed by iNovia Capital and significant Angel investors. The Tynt patent pending technology is currently deployed on sites around the globe and has already tracked several hundred thousand user actions and recorded the copy of billions of words and images on hundreds of thousands of web sites.

The only "VC" I no of lived in North Vietnam... OH! It's "Venture Capitalists" Much nicer group! They don't dig pits with sharpened bamboo stakes in them. No, no, they just design instruments that no one can read and offer them for sale on the "open" market...yeah, much nicer people... OTOH, we wouldn't have much of Apple without them...

Back to the "Copy & Paste" copying, I'm sure this company would never stoop to things like adding more information to their reports...or copying just a bit more info from your keyboard...or... Never a lack of people trying to take advantage of the lack of attention/wisdom of the common man...

Here's the source code for the script: <The Spy who got into my Cut Buffer?>

[kimmer]

I gave it a whirl and copy/pasted a paragraph from the NY Daily news and got the nasty lines of code. However, if you highlight and do a text clipping instead of copy/paste -- no code.

[Xairbusdriver]

No arguement. But why should you have to do that? Your clipboard has already been tampered with, that string of text was inserted in it. Excuse me, but that clipborad is for my use and some application that I approve. Who gave this company the right to do any with it? The only thing positive, for users, about this invasion of our computers, is that it is visible.

Pasting to clipping is useless in my opinion, mainly because I've never learned how to open one to see what's in one.

Apparently, the only way to avoid this thing is to either turn JavaScript (not neccessarily a bad idea) or to block the domain: tynt.com And even that could be thwarted if the site closes to run the service through thier own servers!

The point is, it seems to me, is that some think that anything we do on our computers is fair game as long as we are on their site. This rather innocuous insertion of a string of text is not the real problem, IMHO. And this capability is not even new. javascript and even Java can always have access to the keyboard input, much of their capability relies on that access. But the use of it to do things like this is only the tip of the iceberg. Once a company can 'sell' the idea that they can deliver information about the users computer and what they do with it, completely without the users knowledge, where is there any room for privacy?

[kimmer]

QUOTE(Xairbusdriver @ Jun 8 2010, 05:41 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

No arguement. But why should you have to do that? Your clipboard has already been tampered with, that string of text was inserted in it. Excuse me, but that clipborad is for my use and some application that I approve. Who gave this company the right to do any with it? The only thing positive, for users, about this invasion of our computers, is that it is visible.

I agree with you, I was simply pointing a way to avoid the 'tampering'.

QUOTE

The point is, it seems to me, is that some think that anything we do on our computers is fair game as long as we are on their site. This rather innocuous insertion of a string of text is not the real problem, IMHO. And this capability is not even new. javascript and even Java can always have access to the keyboard input, much of their capability relies on that access. But the use of it to do things like this is only the tip of the iceberg. Once a company can 'sell' the idea that they can deliver information about the users computer and what they do with it, completely without the users knowledge, where is there any room for privacy?

Good point, and I agree; but I long ago gave up the notion that I have any privacy on the Internet.  

QUOTE

Pasting to clipping is useless in my opinion, mainly because I've never learned how to open one to see what's in one.

Umm, you double click and they open? Drag one (unopened) to a blank email or text doc and it is pasted in for you to read/use. I rename my clippings and save them rather than having a ton of docs sitting around. Great when I find a recipe I might want to use some day.  

[Xairbusdriver]

QUOTE

Umm, you double click and they open?

HA! A likely story! As I remember it (of course, that was a few years ago) nothing happened when I double-clicked the thing...or maybe it was that it did open but I could drag and select part of it...or maybe I just don't remember what this post is even about!

Of course, you are correct about interweb privacy. Unfortunately there are two groups who that concern me. First, there is a small but rapidly growing group who claim, when confronted with the facts, simply say "Well, I don't care!" THeir assumption, of course, is that everyone else should have their attitude. The second group is the too large one that have no idea that there is no security out there and dump personal/private/important stuff anytime they're asked and often when they don't even know what they're doing! And some of that "stuff" is about other people, also!

[kimmer]

QUOTE(Xairbusdriver @ Jun 9 2010, 12:41 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Of course, you are correct about interweb privacy. Unfortunately there are two groups who that concern me...

Ah yes; and both of these groups are filled with folks that I see on TV at least once a week. They loudly proclaim, "I thought I was smarter than that and I don't want anyone else to get scammed."