Tracking across sites - third party access - linking user details

[Bowlofbabelfish]

Hi. In the Ts and Cs for the site it mentions MN tracking you across other sites while you’re logged in. I have a few questions on this.

1. Does this happen even if you’ve set your browser to not track across sites?
2. What level of tracking detail? Simply the top domain (ie BBC website) or individual pages? Or clicks within pages? Or keystrokes? Or login data for other pages?
3. What level of tracking detail? We’ve seen reports this week in the news of apps that track like full visual playback. Is that happening?
4. What third party providers see our data? 5. What do they see? I’m particularly concerned about any providers who can hoover user details from across the web and link them (in the light of the poster on the breach thread who says youve contacted her with an email she’s never used for you.)

I guess I just want to be absolutely sure that a user cannot be identified by a third party data user. I’ve looked through the ones you use and one in particular is capable of linking user data across platforms to gain contact details.

@mumsnet please reply to op. I'm shocked by this.

Hello, darkness my old friend...

I suspect most posters think of MNHQ as being the gin and jolly hockey sticks type place that existed when people signed up for it way back when - which becomes a pervasive (and useful) part of its brand identity when attracting new users who decide to sign up.

I wonder how much of the tracking analytics is being driven by the recent private equity investment in MN? Fine if that's the route they want to go down, but not really in the spirit of the site 'ethos' that's still being promoted, and the background of it being the brainchild of Justine and Carrie - given that Carrie isn't listed as being involved anymore. It's the equivalent of Starbucks trying to pretend its not a corporate monolith.

Staff directions for this weekend...

To be fair, I imagine everyone is pretty busy with the main update related issue (and this isn’t related to it) and it’s a complex one to answer because there are a LOT of third party analytics firms involved.

The update issue was reversed so surely the only staff dealing with implementing that update again would be tech staff?

So what does this mean, that they can see what other websites you're looking at? That is a bit creepy. I'd also like to know what level of tracking.

I’ve looked through the ones you use and one in particular is capable of linking user data across platforms to gain contact details.

I use a single email account for mn. Not my name etc. I have only received emails from mn and the email provider except for 2 from a pro-Brexit lobby group. How did they get my email address?

Is l2.visiblemeasures.com (possibly now known as AcuityAds), one of the info gathering services you use/have used in the past at all, @MNHQ? From what I can find out, they apparently help measure video-content consumption of users.

My router logs have been returning DNS name resolution failures to the above address recently, and whilst trying to figure out which of our device was attempting to connect to them, it did seem as if the error mainly appeared around times I was on the tablet I'm currently using and visiting Mumsnet, albeit I am also considering it is potentially our LG Smart TV.

@MNHQ can we have a response on this please? If leaving myself logged in on MN is going to mean that you're tracking what I do on other websites, then I'd like to know about it.

• Is this the case?
• What type of data are you gathering on me?
• Who are you sharing that with?

I would also be interested to hear MNHQ's answers to OP's questions.

So if we connect to Facebook while logged in to MN in another window, do you get access to our full names, city of residence, and other information we share there?

Do you know all other email addresses we use for eBay, Google, YouTube etc? Is that how people have been reporting on the data breach thread that they received emails from you to addresses they never used for MN?

What other RL information do you collect on us MNHQ?

And why? What use is it to you to know which other email addresses we use? Who do you sell this information to?

Hi Bowlofbabelfish, thanks for raising your concerns and apologies for the time it’s taken us to respond.

Mumsnet doesn’t track users across other sites, whether they are logged in or not.
Please let us know which part of the Terms of Use or Privacy Policy you’re looking at? Then we can shed more light on this and answer your four questions in detail.

Could you also tell us which of our third-party technology providers it is that you believe can link user data across platforms to gain user details. You are welcome to provide that information here or email [email protected] directly.

We have had several cases in the past few days where users have forgotten that they registered an email address with us. This is completely understandable as it was sometimes registered many years ago. It may have caused the user you mention to think she was contacted on an email address not provided to us. Do see our FAQs page for more details.

Hi,

By not tracking, what do you mean exactly because the t/c shown in pic 1 says page browsing information to target what we show you. Is that only page browsing on this site or off it? If it’s off it, that IS tracking across sites. That’s fairly benign, but if it’s happening after a browser has requested do not track it’s not ok.

Second, many analytics companies have capacity to link information. What does ‘device linking’ and ‘precise geographical information’ mean in screen shot 2?

More importantly, what does matching data to offline sources mean? (Screen shot 2.)

What data? What offline sources? Where is the information collected? For what? Who uses it?

It’s possible that companies that you use for example for user reporting are data hoovering. They shouldn’t, but they have the capacity to. That would account for ‘extra’ user info being hoovered into user profiles.

Screen shots:

glad you flagged this up OP. Will await answers with interest.

The provider list I’m looking at is the one in the privacy settings where you can toggle cookie permissions on and off. I’m also referring to any third party CRM vendors you use to manage user reports.

That’s a lot of third party analytics, based in many different countries, and the ones who have terms easily available say they may send data to other jurisdictions.

@NellMumsnet

Please see my post earlier in thread. I am becoming more convinced that the following error type in my router maintenance log, is only appearing during times I have opened Mumsnet in my browser (whilst already signed in):

10.02.2019 23:36:54
Error
DNS
DNS name resolution failure (l2.visiblemeasures.com)

This is a sample entry from when I opened Mumsnet at 23:36.

During past hour or so I have monitored the router log, and opened/closed Mumsnet tab at varyng times and for varying lengths of time. Each time, within seconds of opening Mumsnet, the error entry appears. I have tested this with all other browser tabs closed.

Clearing my browser cache does not seem to clear the error.

Does Mumsnet actively log against a username, times when that user has opened the site on their browser (whilst already signed in)? If yes, perhaps you could email me a list of the times from past few days, and I could see if these also tie in with the error entries on my router.

Ok, I closed my Mumsnet tab immediately after posting above, then opened it again within a minute, and at same time checked my router log (using split screen and a different browser):

10.02.2019 23:56:14 Error DNS
DNS name resolution failure (l2.visiblemeasures.com)

Just repeated the above exercise, ie closed tab, waited, then at 00.01 re-opened, with same outcome

11.02.2019 00:02:00
Error
DNS
DNS name resolution failure (l2.visiblemeasures.com).

As far as I can see, the error is not appearing at times my Mumsnet tab is closed.

Perhaps something within your Mumsnet server needs cleared/flushed?

Last test before I hit the sack.

Signed out of Mumsnet, and closed tab in browser.

Waited, then opened tab, staying signed out, no error appeared in router log.

Closed tab again, waited, then opened and signed in, within minute error appeared in router log.

So, opening Mumsnet whilst signed in seems to be the trigger. Over to tech at mumsnet for, hopefully, the fix, as presumably you have a cookie stored on my tablet that is attempting (albeit, failing), to reach l2.visiblemeasures.com to share/analyse data relating to my Mumsnet browsing session.

Hi Butterflymum, thanks for the logs. We'll take a look at your issue and get back to you directly.
And thanks for the extra information Bowlofbabelfish - will reply soon.

Thanks, @NellMumsnet. In addition, todays errors seem to be happening even when I am visiting the Mumsnet but signed out, aaargh.

I'm also interested in the answers.

If this is the case, then they probably already know that I came here from another site

@NellMumsnet

Any further forward yet?