Amazon.com is watching you
Saturday, January 3, 2004 by Essencay | Discussion: WinCustomize Talk
http://tinyurl.com went to this site to check it out. Seems like a neat idea, especially for posting links that the messageboard has a problem with. Then I noticed in the bottom left-hand corner of the screen a little box that said "Hi Stephen N. Support TinyURL by donating". Well, I guess that Amazon.com has this thing called the "Amazon Honor System" where if you've bought something on their website, any other site that has joined it will have your name "appear". http://tinyurl.com/psmx
Amazon gives you the ability to opt-out and they say the don't release info to third parties, but it sounds like spyware to me
Amazon gives you the ability to opt-out and they say the don't release info to third parties, but it sounds like spyware to me
Essencay
Reply #2 Saturday, January 3, 2004 7:16 AM
Reply #2 Saturday, January 3, 2004 7:16 AM
Yeah, using its cookies to making browsing and shopping the Amazon site easier is one thing, but using its cookies to "see" where its customers our browsing on the internet is another. Scary thing is I have a cookie-killer piece of software from Earthlink that I select which sites I want to save the cookies from and it also deletes tracking info from "Favs" you save. Amazon isn't one of the sites I save cookies from and I hadn't been to that site in over a week.
Leo the Lion
Reply #3 Saturday, January 3, 2004 8:07 AM
Reply #3 Saturday, January 3, 2004 8:07 AM
You are not the only one who is becoming a bit wary of Amazon. My thread a couple of weeks ago regarding Robbie Williams Escapology Copy protected CD and the pathetic media player which self installed onto your PC has just resolved itself. After making several requests to Amazon for the uncorrupt version of the CD i was told by them that they do not stock it. So i sent it back to them for a refund. I then walked straight into the first record shop i came to on the High Street and was told that they have never seen nor would they stock the corrupted/protected version. Leo's now a proud owner of the CD which he can play on his Winamp to his hearts content. So what are Amazon playing at? Call themselves one of the worlds largest music stockists yet they cannot even get what other stockists can? Call me cynical but are they trying to back people like EMI and others in the music industry who want to dictate to me how and where i play the music that i legally purchase? >
[Message Edited]
[Message Edited]
Erk.
Reply #4 Saturday, January 3, 2004 8:11 AM
Reply #4 Saturday, January 3, 2004 8:11 AM
Glad to see you resolved it Leo.
Wierd thing is... my copy is not from Amazon, it's store bought.
Its got the copy protect and media player on it too
Wierd thing is... my copy is not from Amazon, it's store bought.
Its got the copy protect and media player on it too
Leo the Lion
Reply #5 Saturday, January 3, 2004 8:26 AM
Reply #5 Saturday, January 3, 2004 8:26 AM
Eric.........That media player that came with the CD really hacked me off big time....Without no word of warning or prompt it just self installed straight onto my PC......well out of order - i bet a lawyer could ride a coach and horses through EMI on that and .....the music reproduction using the player was no where near as good as my Winamp......plus my drive sounded like a steam roller when it was playing the CD with that excuse of a media player.....in fact i would not even do it justice by calling it a media player........hissing...starting...stopping.....grunting..... 
Erk.
Reply #6 Saturday, January 3, 2004 8:34 AM
Reply #6 Saturday, January 3, 2004 8:34 AM
...yeah it sucked!
and now I'm thinking that the store I bought it from (In2music) is either affiliated with Amazon, or buys all their stock thru them??
Erk. is gonna check into this one..
Not gonna buy from them anymore if thats the case >
and now I'm thinking that the store I bought it from (In2music) is either affiliated with Amazon, or buys all their stock thru them??
Erk. is gonna check into this one..
Not gonna buy from them anymore if thats the case >
Leo the Lion
Reply #7 Saturday, January 3, 2004 8:53 AM
Reply #7 Saturday, January 3, 2004 8:53 AM
Good Luck, mate......go get 'em.
Both Amazon and EMI are well out of order. The Amazon advert on their website for the CD did not even mention anything about the CD protection. The sticker on the CD case put on by EMI is very small and the writing is unreadable. Very dubious behaviour by two companies who are doing themselves no favours
Both Amazon and EMI are well out of order. The Amazon advert on their website for the CD did not even mention anything about the CD protection. The sticker on the CD case put on by EMI is very small and the writing is unreadable. Very dubious behaviour by two companies who are doing themselves no favours
qrush
Reply #8 Saturday, January 3, 2004 8:54 AM
Reply #8 Saturday, January 3, 2004 8:54 AM
SpyBot and Ad-Aware both pick up on a registry key from Windows Media Player that broadcasts your Media Center Information back to some server. Amazon may be exploiting that one to track you. I haven't deleted it...but now i'm wary about spending a $25 gift certificate I got for Christmas at Amazon. 
Leo the Lion
Reply #9 Saturday, January 3, 2004 9:07 AM
Reply #9 Saturday, January 3, 2004 9:07 AM
Doc.........I would not worry too much about cookies side and lets face it the prices at Amazon are terrific. I have found their service to be excellent as well. The Robbie Williams CD saga is a one off as far as i am concerned and i will continue to shop at Amazon but when i buy an audio CD i will always check around the web first to see if there are Copy Protected versions around and if there are i will ask Amazon the obvious question before making a purchase.
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Reply #1 Saturday, January 3, 2004 7:08 AM