What is a Web bug?
The original Web bug is a transparent image, just a few pixels or less in size, commonly embedded in webpages or email to perform clandestine services for third parties. Web bugs allow the background on the page to show through, making them invisible. They are called “bugs” after the discriminate, remote listening devices of the same name. The modern Web bug need not take the form of a tiny transparent image. Scripts, iFrames, style tags and other implementations within a page can serve the same purpose. Every netizen is familiar with the experience of clicking on a link to visit a website then watching the content load in the browser window. What some surfers might not realize is that the host of the website can allow a third party to embed a Web bug in the page. In this case when a computer requests the page, the embedded image must come from the third party. The computer’s unique address, called an Internet Protocol address (IP), is automatically forwarded to the third party server,
Also known as a”1-by-1 GIF,” “beacon GIF” or “invisible GIF,” a Web bug is an image placed on a Web page or in an email, allowing the bug’s creator to monitor exactly who is reading that web page or email. Web bugs are usually just 1-by-1 pixels in size, rendering them invisible. The reader does not know that she/he is being monitored. A typical Web bug will reveal the IP address of the computer that views the bug, the URL of the page the Web bug lives on, the type of browser used to view the bug and the time that the Web bug was viewed. When a Web bug is placed in an email, it is able to tell if and when that email has been read, the IP address of the email recipient, and how often the email has been forwarded. The best way to arm yourself against Web bugs is to turn off the cookies in your browser.
Web bugs have many different names (e.g., clear GIFs, invisible GIFs, pixel tags) but all perform the same basic function. We sometimes use these bugs for the same purposes that we use cookies. A Web bug tracker is software that can be used to scan for Web bugs. Some trackers provide audible sounds to alert the user to a site using bugs. On this Web site, we have also included Tips to Protect Yourself in an effort to help you take precautions to protect your account information and keep it secure.
A web bug is a graphics on a web page or an email message that is designed to monitor who is reading the web page or email message. A web bug is often invisible as its size is only 1 pixel by 1 pixel. It is represented as HTML IMG tags. Any graphics used for monitoring is a web bug. All invisible gif images are not web bugs, as some are used for alignment purposes. Web bugs are also known as clear gifs or 1 by 1 gifs or invisible gifs. The information sent to the server are: • The IP address of the system that fetched the Web Bug • The URL of the page that the Web Bug is located on • The URL of the Web Bug image • The time the Web Bug was viewed • The type of browser that fetched the Web Bug image • A previously set cookie value Ad networks use web bugs to add information to a personal profile of what sites a person is visiting. This information is stored in a database belonging to the ad network. This in turn determines what banner ad the user is shown. Web bugs are also used to gathe
A Web Bug is a graphic on a web page or in an email message that is designed to monitor who is reading the web page or email message. Web Bugs are typically only 1-by-1 pixel in size and are often invisible. They are represented as HTML IMG tags. Below is an example of a Web Bug found on Quicken’s website (www.quicken.com): img src=”http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/pixel.
