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Mozilla Firefox to Enable Hyperlink Ping Tracking by Default

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Re: Mozilla Firefox to Enable Hyperlink Ping Tracking by Default

#41

Post by klez »

From the mdn page on the `a` element, the section on the `ping` attribute says:

> Contains a space-separated list of URLs to which, when the hyperlink is followed, POST requests with the body PING will be sent by the browser (in the background). Typically used for tracking.

Does this mean that if I put a proxy between the browser and the internet I can block this kind of requests? (of course at the expense of requests that contain that same body for other reasons, in which case I wonder why they didn't add a specific http request header to clearly mark those requests as pings)

Re: Mozilla Firefox to Enable Hyperlink Ping Tracking by Default

#42

Post by spystath »

I was never aware of the ping attribute but now it makes me wonder what was the rationale behind standardising it. Is there any particular legitimate (ie. non-tracking) use for such a feature? It would makes sense, of sorts, if there was a policy regarding the target of the attribute but as far as I can see the browser can ping literally anything.

Re: Mozilla Firefox to Enable Hyperlink Ping Tracking by Default

#45

Post by HocusLocus »

X-Istence wrote: post #6

Maybe now we can get rid of the god-forsaken javascript hell that does link tracking or the multiple bounces between servers before a redirect.

(Me, landing on an 'empty' page with NoScipt)

"Bye!"

Life is simpler these days. Others should envy me.

Re: Mozilla Firefox to Enable Hyperlink Ping Tracking by Default

#47

Post by xaqfox »

gkoberger wrote: post #10
zzo38computer wrote: post #8

As long as I can turn it off in about:config (and it won't try to automatically change the setting for me without my permission) I don't care if it is on or off by default.

In fact, having it on by default is better for people who are privacy conscious. If everyone has it off by default, then no site will implement it. If it's opt-out, the average site is more likely to use it rather than using JS tracking. It's kind of like Do Not Track. Once IE enabled it by default, every single ad network stopped honoring it.

How are ad networks not in violation of the CFAA (computer fraud and abuse act) by not honoring DNT? Surely if I can get in trouble for abusing what a server allows but does not intend then the same should hold true for interactions with a client web browser.

Re: Mozilla Firefox to Enable Hyperlink Ping Tracking by Default

#48

Post by javagram »

xaqfox wrote: post #47
gkoberger wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In fact, having it on by default is better for people who are privacy conscious. If everyone has it off by default, then no site will implement it. If it's opt-out, the average site is more likely to use it rather than using JS tracking. It's kind of like Do Not Track. Once IE enabled it by default, every single ad network stopped honoring it.

How are ad networks not in violation of the CFAA (computer fraud and abuse act) by not honoring DNT? Surely if I can get in trouble for abusing what a server allows but does not intend then the same should hold true for interactions with a client web browser.

DNT arguably ceased to be a reliable symbol of user intention the moment Microsoft turned it on by default.

I doubt Microsoft didn’t realize what they were doing would kill DNT acceptance, but they did it anyway to add a bullet point to their feature list.

Re: Mozilla Firefox to Enable Hyperlink Ping Tracking by Default

#49

Post by chrismeller »

geocar wrote: post #30
Eridrus wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Does anyone want the ping attribute? It seems like JS-based trackers using sendBeacon are the better option for analytics.

Yes. I implement these kinds of trackers, and right now, my choices look like this: 1. Use a redirect: link However this is difficult to implement securely, so most people don't. It's also ugly: The user sees tracking urls in the URL bar and each need to load in turn, redirecting to the final target. 2. Use JavaScript: link This seems to be your suggestion. This requires JavaScript and the JavaScript could be doing o…

I absolutely think the ping attribute is preferable, but several of your solutions are to avoid conflicting with other tracking solutions that are in place already. How would you address that with ping attributes?

Re: Mozilla Firefox to Enable Hyperlink Ping Tracking by Default

#50

Post by deogeo »

javagram wrote: post #48
xaqfox wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How are ad networks not in violation of the CFAA (computer fraud and abuse act) by not honoring DNT? Surely if I can get in trouble for abusing what a server allows but does not intend then the same should hold true for interactions with a client web browser.

DNT arguably ceased to be a reliable symbol of user intention the moment Microsoft turned it on by default. I doubt Microsoft didn’t realize what they were doing would kill DNT acceptance, but they did it anyway to add a bullet point to their feature list.

Much like malware protection ceased to be a reliable symbol of user intention the moment Microsoft turned it on by default.
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