Community Chat

[croemer]

On 6/4/2014 scotttie said:

On 6/4/2014 terrier3 said:

On 6/4/2014 scotttie said:

On 6/4/2014 Lila Belle said:

Yep. Almost everyone I took asked for an email address which made me close the quiz.

None of the ones Croemer posted asked for that. At least none that I took of hers and I took almost all of them.

They really don't need your e-mail address...just by going to the site, they have your URL.

What good will that do them? ANy website we visit has your URL.

Yep...there are more ways then we know that we are being tracked.

[dooBdoo]

Along with all the protections we put on our computers it’s important that we remember “safe computing.” Any time we click on a website, there’s the potential for trouble. By taking any actions on a website, there’s the potential that we just gave them permission to access info on our computer or to install cookies (or supercookies, ubercookies, not removed by the usual cookie deletions) and access anything and everything on our computer. We don’t always have to provide our email account, or do anything other than start interacting with a website, to open the portal to our data.

(BTW: try using browser add-ons and using DuckDuckGo as your search engine to protect privacy.)

Taking any action through Facebook opens all the info on your account to the new website you’ve just clicked to visit. In addition, it often provides the secondary website access to your complete list of Facebook friends... and then access into all the data on their accounts (remember, just because you set the privacy/security tightly on your account doesn’t mean all your friends did the same). On Facebook, many users have added links to their financial info (usually a credit or debit card) to pay for gifts, games, etc. So, that’s one way these quizzes could access financial info quickly. I have no doubt there are other ways.

If we visit a website to shop, for example, at least we’re getting what they advertise. I suppose we're paying for the convenience by giving up some of our online privacy. When we provide our info at a b&m store with loyalty cards, discounts in our smartphones, etc., we do so in return for a cost benefit and we know they’re collecting info. But in both cases, we’re paying for the shopping experience by consenting to give up a certain amount of personal privacy.

It’s a given at this point that the quizzes and surveys tell us nothing about ourselves, they’re not even almost scientific. They’re closeted marketing tools at best and they’re cunning worms into our personal and financial info at worst. I don't think anyone should feel bad that they had some fun with a few of them, but it's good that we know what they really are doing to us. Thanks for posting the articles, newziesuzie.

(edited by dBd)

[dooBdoo]

Interesting, this article was published in 2009 when the fledgling quizzes were taking hold on Facebook, before they spread across the net:

Facebook Quizzes: Beware the Hidden Dangers

5/13/2009, CIO.com

"...These [types of sites] are data-mining havens where users willingly opt-in from the very beginning," says Ryan Jacobson, an attorney and cochair of the Entertainment Media and Privacy Law Group at the law firm SmithAmundsen in Chicago.

"I'm afraid that the average user fails to recognize or take the time to understand what privacy rights he or she is actually giving up by responding."

The Trust Factor

Ultimately, deciding whether you should take an online quiz comes down to a question of trust: Are you comfortable putting your information--personal or financial--into the owner's hands? Remember, even if you don't directly input data, it can be passed along..."

http://www.cio.com/article/492617/Facebook_Quizzes_Beware_the_Hidden_Dangers?page=2&taxonomyId=3089

[scotttie]

I didn't give them any of my passwords or financial info.

[dooBdoo]

On 6/4/2014 scotttie said:

I didn't give them any of my passwords or financial info.

Hi, Scottie!

You don't have to. That's what I was trying to explain.

[PatsyCline]

I won't be taking the quizzes.

[scotttie]

On 6/4/2014 dooBdoo said:

On 6/4/2014 scotttie said:

I didn't give them any of my passwords or financial info.

Hi, Scottie!

You don't have to. That's what I was trying to explain.

Then how do they get your password or financial info? I read what you wrote but I still don't see how they can get your personal financial info or your passwords. (PS I don't do facebook)

[Lotus]

I was actually thinking about this today.....especially after my ""quiz obsessed"" friend posted her gazillionth quiz result.

Thanks for sharing.

[Q_spirit]

hmmmmm. this does explain a lot.

[biancardi]

data mining is a big problem on the internet. You don't need passwords or things like that - they can piece together who you are if you engage in all of these ""free quizzes""

identity theft is so much more than just a password.