[PLUG] IP tracking

[Dick Steffens]

On 7/26/19 1:27 PM, King Beowulf wrote:
> On 7/26/19 12:26 PM, Dick Steffens wrote:
>> On 7/26/19 12:13 PM, King Beowulf wrote:
>>> On 7/25/19 10:21 PM, Dick Steffens wrote:
>>>> Is there a good place to read up on IP tracking by Google? Folks I know
>>>> want to use Google Calendar. They are totally unsophisticated with
>>>> regards to how Google tracks a user's IP address. I want to find some
>>>> information I can cite to explain it to them.
>>>>
>>> Dick,
>>>
>>> Literally EVERYBODY tracks your IP address. If they didn't, there would
>>> be no way to access information on the internet. An IP address is how
>>> internet information finds its destination and is exactly analogous to
>>> your house address for receiving paper mail:  EVERYBODY knows your house
>>> address. It's a public record.
>> I understand this part.
>>
>>> The question is not "Do they track my IP access" but "Do they track what
>>> internet sites and information I access from my IP address".  You can
>>> block a lot of this, use a VPN or proxy to hide your real IP, but then
>>> you can't use "free" services like google calendar, etc.
>> Right. That's the part I want to read up on. How does Google track IP
>> addresses and the sites those IP addresses connect to.
>>
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Server_log
>
> Its all in the server logs, router logs, for whatever server a site uses
> (web, ftp, mail etc). These can be customized to track all sorts of
> information which can then be parsed and analyzed with all sorts of
> standard (open source) utilities, or custom code.  To name a few:
>
> nmap
> nslookup
> dig
> whois
>
> and https://awstats.sourceforge.io/
>
> The same tools used in cybersecurity, penetration testing, etc, can be
> used to gather information:
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penetration_test
>
> I am befuddled by your question.  As I said above EVERYBODY tracks
> server access, not just google, and this tracking is BUILT INTO the
> server software.  All they have to do is look at their server logs. Once
> parsed and stored in a relational database, this information can be
> analyzed for trends, location, browser, operating system etc. That is
> simply all there is to "how".
>
> Perhaps Google is blocking you search terms. Try duckduckgo:
>
> https://www.howtogeek.com/115483/htg-explains-learn-how-websites-are-tracking-you-online/
>
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_and_network_surveillance
>
> https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2017/03/29/what-to-expect-now-that-internet-providers-can-collect-and-sell-your-web-browser-history/
>
> and 100s more.

Thanks, Ed. That's what I was asking about. I know all that stuff is 
there, and I know a little bit about using it to know more about your 
site's visitors. It's what is done with that information that I have 
heard that Google is known for. As Kieth has often said, "If you're not 
the client, you're the product." I want these folks to understand that 
before they start using the tool.

-- 
Regards,

Dick Steffens