Stupid ebay/amazon question

[Python]

On Thu, 2006-06-29 at 09:51 -0400, Steven W. Orr wrote:
> On Thursday, Jun 29th 2006 at 09:40 -0400, quoth Paul Lussier:
> 
> =>"Steven W. Orr" <steveo at syslang.net> writes:
> =>
> =>> On Wednesday, Jun 28th 2006 at 11:13 -0400, quoth mike ledoux:
> =>>
> =>> =>On Wed, Jun 28, 2006 at 11:01:59AM -0400, Steven W. Orr wrote:
> =>> =>> I just want to try to keep my question on track. Yes, it gets deleted in 
> =>> =>> the appropriate fashion. The question is why does it appear after visiting 
> =>> =>> ebay? I do not get the sheer number of these messages when I don't go to 
> =>> =>> visit ebay.
> =>> =>
> =>> =>I'm guessing while you are at eBay browsing auctions, you probably
> =>> =>run across at least a few that have been placed by spammers/phishers
> =>> =>with embedded images, webbugs, cookies, etc.
> =>>
> =>> Bingo. I never thought of that. Thanks.
> =>
> =>Which is why I a) never fill in e-mail address field on my browser,
> =>and b) set the cookies option to "always ask".  If the cookie isn't
> =>from the domain I'm directly connected to, it gets denied.  As does
> =>anything from a system matching the regex ad*.*.* :)
> 
> Ok. I take it back. I thought this was a good explanation but I realize 
> it's not. Let's try again:
> 
> I go to ebay and I log in. Now ebay knows who I am. Then I browse around 
> and look at a bunch of different items. In no case am I providing anyone 
> with my email address. 

I have the Firefox plug-in "Live Headers" which records the HTTP chit-
chat.  I saw no indication that an email address was sent.  Old browsers
(~1998 for sure) were pretty free and easy about passing out the email
address if they knew it, but that's been repaired.

> Then, after a finish with ebay, for a few weeks, 
> the number of ebay spam messages goes up. 

I get tons of eBay phishing emails.  I've never tried to correlate them
to my rare ebay visits.  (Also, they do not use the email address on
file with ebay.)  Could your experience be an observation error or
merely coincidence?

> Yes, I did not discriminate with 
> the cookies; I let them all be set. Is that enough for them to know how to 
> get my address?

I don't think so.  I mostly gave up on detailed cookie control and
simply delete them all periodically.  However cookies simply store data
from the server and allow some sharing of data (tracking) between
servers.  ebay is unlikely to be pushing your email address out for
others to grab.

Surely you're not using a spy-ware infested Windows computer.

-- 
Lloyd Kvam
Venix Corp