 - A Web bug, also known as a Web beacon, is a file object (usually a graphic image such as a transparent GIF) that is placed on a Web page or in
an e-mail message to monitor user behavior, functioning as a kind of spyware. Unlike a cookie,
which can be accepted or declined by a browser user, a Web bug arrives as
just another GIF. A Web bug is typically invisible to the user because it is transparent (matches the color of the page background) and takes up only a tiny amount of space. It can usually only be detected if the user looks at the source version of the page to find an "IMG" tag that loads from a different Web server than the rest of the page.
Although proponents of Internet privacy object to the use of Web bugs in
general, they also concede that Web bugs can be put to positive use, for example to track copyright violations on the Web.
According to Richard M. Smith, a Web bug can gather the following statistics:
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The IP address of the computer that fetched the
Web bug
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The URL of the page that the Web bug is located
on
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The URL of the Web bug image
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The time the Web bug was viewed
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The type of browser that fetched the Web bug image
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A previously set cookie value
Web beaconing is often used by spammers to validate e-mail addresses. When a recipient opens an e-mail message that includes a Web beacon, information returned to the sender indicates that the message has been opened.
| CONTRIBUTORS: |
Tim Joyce |
| LAST UPDATED: |
21 Sep 2005
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