MailScanner- tracking downlaods - a cautionary note

[Quentin Campbell]

>-----Original Message-----
>From: mailscanner-bounces at lists.mailscanner.info [mailto:mailscanner-
>bounces at lists.mailscanner.info] On Behalf Of shuttlebox
>Sent: 03 October 2007 09:20
>To: MailScanner discussion
>Subject: Re: MailScanner- tracking downlaods - a cautionary note
>
>On 10/3/07, Quentin Campbell <Q.G.Campbell at newcastle.ac.uk> wrote:
>> Scott Silva said:
>>
>> >> Jules
>> >You can always add some sort of "phone home with permission" type of
>> >thing to keep track of the installed base. Maybe something that
sends
>> back OS and
>> >maybe a randomly generated and locally stored signature. That way
you
>> >would get a better idea of how many mailscanners are out there.
>> >Any body who is very paranoid could opt out.
>>
>> Julian
>>
>> If you chose to go down that route please be open and public about it
>> and ensure every downloader is fully aware that MailScanner will send
>> back info about usage to you.
>
>Wasn't this meant as a harmless way of tracking MS usage? It's very
>open and anyone can replace it to their liking.

No, what Scott Silva was suggesting, as I understood it, is quite
different to a web bug. The suggested facility might send info about the
server name/address, OS type, product being run, date/time, etc to a
remote server of Julian's. 

The facility used by Anthony Howe sends some of the above info back to a
remote server every time his software is started on a host. In his case
it simply provides enough info to enable the licencee to check that the
use of the product is licenced and in this regard has a different
purpose to that which was suggested by Scott.

Quentin

>
># When a web bug is found, what image do you want to replace it with?
># By replacing it with a real image, the page layout still works
>properly,
># so the formatting and layout of the message is correct.
># The following is a harmless untracked 1x1 pixel transparent image.
># If this is not specified, the the old value of "MailScannerWebBug" is
>used,
># which of course is not an image and may well upset layout of the
>email.
># This can also be the filename of a ruleset.
>Web Bug Replacement =
>http://www.sng.ecs.soton.ac.uk/mailscanner/images/1x1space
>r.gif
>
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