Agreed .. Seriesly
Posted on 02/12/2014 6:07:13 PM PST by Windflier
If 'read receipts' on emails weren't annoying enough, a San Francisco-based firm has taken the art of tracking emails to the next level.
The Streak plugin lets Gmail account holders monitor which of their sent items have been opened, who opened them, the exact time they were opened and how many times those emails have been viewed since.
It also reveals details about the device used to read the email, and even the reader's approximate location.
Streak is aimed at sales and marketing professionals, and the company calls it a 'Customer Relationship Manager (CRM) in your inbox.'
However, the plugin can be installed by anyone using Gmail on Google Chrome and Safari.
Aside from tracking emails, the plugin can also track stories and keywords, and keep track of bookings made as part of a wedding or other event.
Once installed, users can set Streak's Email Tracking function to be enabled by default and each time they send an email, Streak will automatically track it.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
FR search function was not working when I searched for this title on the site.
Creepy. I’m having the urge to learn how to write Android apps just so I can write a firewall to defeat this.
I’m guessing this is not a function of gmail itself. Streak probably inserts code that signals back whenever something is viewed. Constant contact and mail chimp already do that cross platform. Every email you’ve already received from mass emailers already tracks all this stuff.
Everything associated with Google is creepy.
Google is Evil.
Wonder if it’ll also tell the sender that any of their crap via Gmail has been auto-shredded by my mail server w/o ever being glanced at ?
Agreed .. Seriesly
This is a plugin that has to be installed on the client? Can’t we just not install it?
Things are getting creepy. Now there are firms that tell you when someone is searching for you, and, of course, they’d also tell others who you might be searching for. So, if you look up phone numbers or addresses of individuals on the net, they might get a report telling them that.
These net companies are connecting too many things that don’t really need to be connected.
It sounds like the services that attach an image or an html tag into the email. Possibly if you disable html in your email it won’t work. I’m not sure what I’m talking about, just a vague memory of something I read. Any sharper knives in the drawer that can tell us for sure?
You did, but I haven't opened it yet :-)
I'll buy that for a dollar!
Correct. It's an add on program.
I gotta get me one of those.
That's the way I understand it, however, anyone who's got this installed and uses Gmail, can tell whether you've opened their mail or not.
Gmail is one of the better programs for letting these services from taking you. It automatically disables them. You have to click view images for these to work.
It should have read, “from tracking you.....”
I agree. It's getting to the point where our every movement will be watched, recorded, and cataloged, every waking minute of every day.
Rage against the machine!
It’s been around for awhile. See spypig.com
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