Re: It's all like that

[Wes Groleau <wesgroleau@despammed.com>]

> the trickery going on on the internet to invade my privacy. HTML, I
> believe, is passive and cannot do things without my knowledge. The
> other "web enhancements" allow the servers to do things without my
> permission.

"without your knowledge" is a key.  It is possible,
and I have done it, to do what cookies do without
Javascript or cookies.  It is generally obvious,
however, that it is happening to one who is paying
attention.  It doesn't happen often because it is
so much easier to do it with cookies.

For an example, turn off cookies and Javascript,
and go to http://www.acpl.lib.in.us

Hover over "Library Catalog" and note what the link
URI is.  Click it and note that you get something
different.  Something like:

..../uhtbin/cgisirsi/cUj3y3f4tp/97370270/60/61/X

The stuff after the 'cgisirsi' is functionally
identical to a cookie.  Since (unless you have
disabled this also) any http GET reveals the URI
of the referring page, putting the codes there
can track you just as well as if it were done with
cookies.  And nothing but honor prevents them from
sharing the info.