Australia: Browser beware as political websites plant spy devices otherwise known as " flash cookies."
Politicians are letting foreign-owned companies covertly gather information about voters.
The websites of Barry O'Farrell, Kristina Keneally, Tony Abbott and the Greens plant spying devices on visitors' computers, which can track them as they browse the internet.
Advertisement: Story continues below Information gathered about a user's online behaviour can be used to build detailed profiles to help target advertisements - a practice many believe is a threat to privacy.
Outrage in the US over YouTube cookies placed by the White House's website last year prompted the company to develop videos that let publishers choose if cookies are planted.
The websites of Ms Keneally, Mr Abbott and the Greens also planted flash cookies which can hold more data than standard cookies. They also have no expiration date and are stored on an external server, which makes them difficult for users to detect or delete.
ShareThis and YouTube said users were able to delete or disable third-party cookies.
The information these devices gather is considered anonymous because it identifies browsing software, not individuals.
Link:
http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/cookie-monsters-browser-beware-as-political-websites-plant-spy-devices-20101107-17j13.html