Cloud IT formerly On-Site Technical Solutions: Who's Tracking You Online?

Guardian has a series of articles on the companies doing the most tracking and monitoring of Internet traffic, including how and why these companies do it.

They're calling it the Tracking the Trackers Project and the seines of articles has some great information for anyone using the Internet - for business or pleasure!

Tracking the trackers: who are the companies monitoring us online? - interactive

They start with an explanation of cookies, which are one of the prime ways in which we're tracked. It's not easy to use the web seamlessly without activating cookies at some level:

Cookies are small bits of text that are downloaded to your browser as you surf the web. Their purpose is to carry bits of useful information about your interaction with the website that sets them.

Contrary to a common belief, cookies do not contain software programs, so cannot install anything on a computer.

Cookies generally do not contain any information that would identify a person. Usually they contain a string of text or "unique identifier". This acts like a label. When a website sees the string of text it set in a cookie, it knows the browser is one it has seen before.

If you use a different computer, open a new web browser or delete your cookies, the website will treat you as if you have arrived for the first time (and a new cookie will be set).

The series is easy enough to follow - I've listed the top six because the sixth spot is where Google lands. At first glance I was surprised that Google was that low, but they do own number one on the list - DoubleClick.

1. DoubleClick

DoubleClick: What is it and what does it do?

DoubleClick is not something anyone wants but is almost impossible to avoid:

DoubleClick appeared more than any other name in our Tracking the Trackers data. Here we find out as much as we can about what it does.

The reason we can't avoid it?

Doubleclick is a business owned by Google that makes it money from online advertisers and publishers.

2. Quantserve (Quantcast)

Quantserve (Quantcast): What is it and what does it do?

I wasn't too familiar with Quantserve, but it was the second biggest tracker in the Guardian list.

Quantserve.com creates web beacons and cookies operated by audience research and behavioural advertising company Quantcast.

3. ScorecardResearch (ComScore)

ScorecardResearch (ComScore): What is it and what does it do?

ComScore was new to me, but was the third biggest name in the Guardian list:

ScorecardResearch is part of a company called Full Circle Studies, which is owned by comScore.

To put the size of comScore into some context, its factsheet claims it tracks more than three million unique websites worldwide and its methodology page says it has "approximately two million worldwide consumers under continuous measurement".

It provides market research data to website owners through a mixture of online surveys and the use of web beacons.

4. Facebook

Facebook: What is it and what does it do?

You're probably already familiar with Facebook - and using it - but the Guardian notes:

What is Facebook.com? This question doesn't really need answering, but what is interesting is how this social network uses cookies on other websites – especially if you do not have a Facebook account.

5. Twitter

Twitter: What is it and what does it do?

While Twitter is tracking us, Guardian says it's not really clear what they're tracking. What is Twitter tracking, Guardian asks?

From its privacy policy, it's not entirely clear. The assumption is that the information Twitter can obtain from these buttons is similar to that which can be obtained by Facebook and Google+ sharing buttons (which are clearer about what they do in their privacy policies).

6. Google

Google: What is it and what does it do?

Interesting that Guardian ends up breaking Google down to Google+ and Analytics:

We saw a lot from google.com in our crowdsourced data, but there is still some confusion as to why it might have been there. It is likely to be one of two things: Google Analytics and Google+. Both of these also rank highly in Evidon's KnowYourElements site, which lists some of the most prolific trackers used on the web.

All in all an interesting series that's worth at least reviewing to see how the Internet is tracking your usage.

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