Cookies are programs that Web sites put on your hard disk. They sit on your computer gathering information about you and everything you do on the Internet, and whenever the Web site wants to it can download all of the information the cookie has collected. [wrong]

Definitions like that are fairly common in the press. The problem is, none of that information is correct. Cookies are not programs, and they cannot run like programs do. Therefore, they cannot gather any information on their own. Nor can they collect any personal information about you from your machine.

Originally posted by twitchy
ATS also installs an Alexia related DOS application, and runs several third party scripts, and this is just a discussion board, not the NSA.
politics.abovetopsecret.com...

Is Alexa spyware?

Well, no ... probably not. At least not if you haven't deliberately installed some of their software.

But Lavasoft's Ad-Aware identifies a standard registry key included with Internet Explorer as "Data Miner" spyware, with little or no further explanation, and offers to delete it. I hope this page offers a better explanation, and other alternatives to deletion. Spybot identifies it too, with more explanation, and they have a smarter strategy to deal with it (more below).

The issue is the 'Related Links' feature of IE (pre-XP SP2) which appears as the 'Tools'/'Show Related Links' menu item (and a corresponding toolbar button if you added it from the 'Customize...' link on the toolbar). If you use that feature, IE will contact the Alexa servers, via MSN, to obtain information about other web pages which seem to be related, open an Explorer Bar, and display those (plus adverts and whatnot). Go check the Alexa web site to see if you think that is a good idea (and, just to be clear, I think it's a very sucky idea), or just to double-check that you haven't deliberately or unintentionally or absent-mindedly installed some of their software.

And due to a bug in IE (versions prior to IE6 on XP SP2), you might even transmit (potentially sensitive) URL information if you reload pages long after you close the Explorer Bar, about (even secure HTTPS/SSL) pages for which you didn't request Related Links. More details at Note 4.

But if you don't use that menu or button, Alexa will not hear from you and no spying will take place.

Just to be clear, this feature is 'spyware', if you use it. If you do so, you will be sending information to MSN and Alexa obtained by spying, because there is nowhere that Microsoft adequately discloses and documents that privacy 'leak'. Sure, Alexa have some information on it, and a pretty clear privacy policy, but you don't get to know of Alexa's involvement until after you use the feature, and even then you have to hunt for it, and even then no mention is made of MSN's interstitial involvement. Don't blame Alexa though - it's Microsoft's responsibility to provide their users with complete and truthful disclosure - and they haven't.

But if you don't use it, it won't be spying on you behind your back, and you may sleep soundly. Here are some options :-

- You can let Ad-Aware delete it, with no harm done (though if you later repair, or patch or upgrade IE, it may get re-established).

- You can ignore the alert and leave it be, with no harm done.

- You can fiddle with it so that it just doesn't work (so that even if you, or someone else using your PC, accidentally tries it, it won't contact Alexa).

- Or you can fiddle with it so that it uses Google to find related links, instead of Alexa. See the instructions and security warning below