What do you think about tracking personal emails?

[Charmonium]

If a person you corresponded with tracked their emails, would that bother you? If so, please explain.

 

[lxskllr]

What do you mean?

 

[Charmonium]

In other words, using an online service to insert a web bug (one pixel image) into an email so that you know a) when it's been opened or re-opened and b) if a link in the email has been clicked.

 

[lxskllr]

Oh, I block images. Pretty much the only people that send me links are the few companies I deal with, and I don't care if they know I clicked on a link. If I thought private parties were actively tracking link clicks(why?), I might sanitize them first, then copy/paste into a browser. I'm having trouble thinking of a situation that would matter though.

 

[Charmonium]

I hate email because unless I track them, I don't know when someone has gotten the message I sent and that drives me batty. Once I get the notification that the email has been opened, I can relax. I know that I sent it to the correct address and it was received.

The links I don't care about but the company that provides the service tracks those too. I don't think I can opt out.

 

[lxskllr]

I hate email because unless I track them, I don't know when someone has gotten the message I sent and that drives me batty. Once I get the notification that the email has been opened, I can relax. I know that I sent it to the correct address and it was received.

The links I don't care about but the company that provides the service tracks those too. I don't think I can opt out.

I assume the message has been received. IME, email is at least as reliable as USPS, and if first class mail is assumed to have been received when the government sends it, I can assume email has been received.

 

[lxskllr]

What you could do is gpg encrypt all your mail. When people write back and ask "WTF is this?!" you can send them a link to this...

https://linux.die.net/man/1/gpg

and you'll know they read your mail

<.<
>.>

 

[IronWing]

Oh, I block images. Pretty much the only people that send me links are the few companies I deal with, and I don't care if they know I clicked on a link. If I thought private parties were actively tracking link clicks(why?), I might sanitize them first, then copy/paste into a browser. I'm having trouble thinking of a situation that would matter though.

This. My email program blocks web content unless I tell it to do otherwise on a message by message basis.

 

[Charmonium]

I do the same thing but my informal research shows that most people don't do that. I sometimes wonder if it's either because they don't know they're being tracked or they don't care. I hope it's the latter.

 

[mikeymikec]

I have TB configured to automatically ignore any read receipt requests as well as blocking remote content (the latter being the only sane option in the spammer-friendly environment; I was flabbergasted when I recently learnt that the gmail site doesn't block remote content).

Charmonium, you don't know if you've sent it to the correct address just because it was received *somewhere*.

Why does it bother you not immediately knowing if they've received the message?

If I have to communicate information or a question that needs to be instantly received/responded to, I'd phone the person. If it was a document/file that needed transmitting and 'asap' delivery, I'd e-mail then ring to confirm receipt.

If the e-mail is like most e-mails, I'd assume it has been received until a respectable length of time has passed ('respectable' including an acknowledgement that I am not entitled to an immediate response, and the upper limit being determined by the point that I need a response by, assuming I haven't been an ass and left things until the last minute).

Your behaviour strikes me like someone who would send an internal office e-mail then rush to the recipient's desk and ask them if they've read it yet and what their response is.

 

[Thebobo]

Is that the same a request read receipt?

Ops just saw the post above mine.

 

[DietDrThunder]

In other words, using an online service to insert a web bug (one pixel image) into an email so that you know a) when it's been opened or re-opened and b) if a link in the email has been clicked.

First of all, I don't think it is anyone's fuckin' business to know, even if the sender is a friend or family, if I have opened an email or not. I even have the read receipt function disabled on my email accounts. Second, I have images disabled for security purposes so dumb shits like you won't put a potentially harmful web bug on my PC. Third, I NEVER click on links within an email for security purposes as well. It doesn't matter if I know the person, vendor, or whatever, so many email addresses are spoofed these days and you don't know for sure they are valid. I'll go to the vendor's website via a link that I know is valid, log in, then look at whatever. Fourth, if it is important for the person to read your fuckin' email, pickup the damn phone and call or text them.

 

[Thebobo]

First of all, I don't think it is anyone's fuckin' business to know, even if the sender is a friend or family, if I have opened an email or not. I even have the read receipt function disabled on my email accounts. Second, I have images disabled for security purposes so dumb shits like you won't put a potentially harmful web bug on my PC. Third, I NEVER click on links within an email for security purposes as well. It doesn't matter if I know the person, vendor, or whatever, so many email addresses are spoofed these days and you don't know for sure they are valid. I'll go to the vendor's website via a link that I know is valid, log in, then look at whatever. Fourth, if it is important for the person to read your fuckin' email, pickup the damn phone and call or text them.

How about if you forgot your password at a sight and request another and they send you an email with a link to click on to get another?

 

[DietDrThunder]

How about if you forgot your password at a sight and request another and they send you an email with a link to click on to get another?

There is always an exception to the rule, but this rarely, if ever happens to me. Other than at work, I don't rely on my brain to remember passwords. My passwords are kept in a encrypted password protected file, which is backed up on my personal NAS, and a printed copy is kept in my safe. I also rely a lot on two factor authentication, and I won't use a brokerage, banking, or credit card accounts that don't support it.

 

[Charmonium]

I have TB configured to automatically ignore any read receipt requests as well as blocking remote content (the latter being the only sane option in the spammer-friendly environment; I was flabbergasted when I recently learnt that the gmail site doesn't block remote content).

Charmonium, you don't know if you've sent it to the correct address just because it was received *somewhere*.

Why does it bother you not immediately knowing if they've received the message?

If I have to communicate information or a question that needs to be instantly received/responded to, I'd phone the person. If it was a document/file that needed transmitting and 'asap' delivery, I'd e-mail then ring to confirm receipt.

If the e-mail is like most e-mails, I'd assume it has been received until a respectable length of time has passed ('respectable' including an acknowledgement that I am not entitled to an immediate response, and the upper limit being determined by the point that I need a response by, assuming I haven't been an ass and left things until the last minute).

Your behaviour strikes me like someone who would send an internal office e-mail then rush to the recipient's desk and ask them if they've read it yet and what their response is.

I'm not quite that bad but I think you get the general idea. OCD is a bitch.

Your logic pretty much parallels my own - on a rational level. The problem is that being completely rational about these things strains my emotional abilities. If I know someone has opened an email, I can then set the clock in terms of what is a respectable time to wait before I nudge them. So for example, let's say someone doesn't even get to the email for 2 days. I'll start the clock at that time and then wait another day or so before I try to harass them. This way I don't come across as the needy psychopath I really am.

Is that the same a request read receipt?

No. Read receipts I think are mostly voluntary although I guess it depends on how you have your email client set up. I only use webmail and I'm pretty sure the read receipt is derogated? I don't think that's the right word. It's used when a particular feature in a piece of software isn't used any more - as an example.

First of all, I don't think it is anyone's fuckin' business to know, even if the sender is a friend or family, if I have opened an email or not. I even have the read receipt function disabled on my email accounts. Second, I have images disabled for security purposes so dumb shits like you won't put a potentially harmful web bug on my PC. Third, I NEVER click on links within an email for security purposes as well. It doesn't matter if I know the person, vendor, or whatever, so many email addresses are spoofed these days and you don't know for sure they are valid. I'll go to the vendor's website via a link that I know is valid, log in, then look at whatever. Fourth, if it is important for the person to read your fuckin' email, pickup the phone and call or text them.

I do the same thing mostly. But I use noscript on firefox so I don't worry that much about getting sent to a bogus site.

 

[mikeymikec]

I'm not quite that bad but I think you get the general idea. OCD is a bitch.

Your logic pretty much parallels my own - on a rational level. The problem is that being completely rational about these things strains my emotional abilities. If I know someone has opened an email, I can then set the clock in terms of what is a respectable time to wait before I nudge them. So for example, let's say someone doesn't even get to the email for 2 days. I'll start the clock at that time and then wait another day or so before I try to harass them. This way I don't come across as the needy psychopath I really am.

Fair enough, as long as you're aware. If we conversed on that kind of level then you would need to make allowances for the fact that I try my damndest to circumvent tracking systems