E-mail tracker firm

E-mail tracker firm sparks fears over internet security
By Simon English in New York (Filed: 24/05/2004)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/mai...24/ixcity.html

The days of pretending you just didn't get that e-mail you ignored could be over. Today, a company called DidTheyReadIt.com offers customers the chance to track every e-mail they send.

By signing up, you'll be able to see when an e-mail was opened, how long it was looked at, if it was read more than once, and if it was forwarded to anyone else.

Inevitably, the service has already attracted the accusation that it is compromising the privacy of internet users. Rampell Software, the Massachusetts firm behind the website, admits there are "legitimate uses and stealth uses" for its product, but insists its intentions are good.

It points out that many businessmen share important information via e-mail that they must be sure the recipients have seen. Anxious mothers trying to track down errant offspring can be reassured that their children are alive, even if they are not responding to messages. Job seekers will at least know if an employer read an application letter sent by e-mail, even if they didn't get the position.

DidTheyReadIt is invisible to recipients, hence the concern from privacy experts. Next time you pass over an old friend, annoying relative or tedious business contact, be aware that they might know for sure you've ignored them.

A company spokesman said: "We are not naive. Private investigation has been a profession for thousands of years and will be for thousands more."

damn no excuses for not doing that work the boss sent you .... does sound like an invasion of privacy to me .. very interesting.

I wouldn't mind seeing that incorperated into standard e-mail. We have a simplier version in our PM tracking here on 'AO'. I find it quite usefull, just to see if a PM I sent got there.

Hey Hey,

While there are times when it would be nice, I don't think I want everyone knowing if I read their email or not... It's my business not theirs. Definately sounds like a violation of my privacy. Outlook, and possibly others, already let you request a read-receipt, which the person has to click on to send, but still it exists, that's more than enough for me. I would love to see the technology behind this tho, invisible to recipients, I'd love to know how they are doing this. Does it require HTML email messages? because that's and easy bypass, does it require you download images.. once again easily bypassed... or have they developped something more elaborate?

Peace,
HT

HT... exactly my thoughts...

Wonder exactly how they do this?

Similar to how spammers try to verify good addresses? With a web bug?

If so, can't it be defeated by not accepting html email? Thats what I currently do...
It just displays the code in which I immediately delete. I hate html email...

Looks to me like its HTML embedded, prolly with a transparent .gif.

http://www.didtheyreadit.com/index.p...s#readreceipts

Quote:

---

When the recipient gets the e-mail, it looks the same as any other e-mail that you send them. The instant they read the message, you will get an e-mail telling you that your message was read. It will contain the following information:

When the message was read.
Where (geographically---approximately) the message was read.
When they have finished reading the message, you will receive a more detailed report, which will also indicate how long they read the message for.

Each time the message is re-opened, even by a different person, you will be alerted. This means that if the recipient forwards your message, you will know. (You'll even know where the recipient is located, geographically).

---

1. download pic, take IP
2. whois IP to location

Quote:

---

DidTheyReadIt will determine if your message has been read (as well as how long and where) the vast majority of the time, upwards of 98% in extensive testing. Will it always work? No. Think of it like caller ID. Caller ID works most of the time and will show you who is calling you, but every now and then you get a "Private Call" or "Unavailable" number. We encourage you to sign up for a free account to test DidTheyReadIt. There is absolutely no obligation to purchase and we believe that you will find it an invaluable service that is effective.

---

so 2% turn off html in their email client?

If you ask me, there is no other way to track email than to bug it with html.

Spammers are on top of it, too
http://informationweek.securitypipel.../news/18901439

Does anyone want to try this out? It has a free trial, I believe.

Hey Hey,

I signed up for their free (five messages a month) account and sent myself one. It is as Soda said a transperant gif.

Quote:

---

+OK POP server ready H mproxyus0
USER XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
+OK password required for user "XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX"
PASS XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
+OK XXXXXXXXXXXX's mailbox has 1 messages (1134 octets) H mproxyus0
STAT
+OK 1 1134
UIDL
+OK
1 1BS719-3fqF-0MKv6A-0007Yr
.
LIST
+OK 1 messages (1134 octets)
1 1134
.
RETR 1
+OK -1 octets
Return-Path: <[email protected]>
Received: from dtri2.rampellsoft.com[69.90.152.225] (helo=dtri2.rampellsoft.com)
by mx.perfora.net with ESMTP (Nemesis),
id 1BS719-3fqF-0MKv6A-0007Yr; Mon, 24 May 2004 00:24:51 -0400
Received: from dtri2.rampellsoft.com (localhost.localdomain [127.0.0.1])
by dtri2.rampellsoft.com (8.12.8/8.12.8) with ESMTP id i4O4Oq9m017746;
Mon, 24 May 2004 00:24:52 -0400
Received: (from nobody@localhost)
by dtri2.rampellsoft.com (8.12.8/8.12.8/Submit) id i4O4Oq7u017744;
Mon, 24 May 2004 00:24:52 -0400
Date: Mon, 24 May 2004 00:24:52 -0400
Message-Id: <[email protected]>
X-Authentication-Warning: dtri2.rampellsoft.com: nobody set sender to [email protected] using -f
To: [email protected]
Subject: testing
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-type: text/html; charset=UTF-8
From: HT <[email protected]>
Cc: [email protected]
X-SpamScore: 0.666
tests= MIME_HTML_ONLY


Hrm.. Let's see how this works...<br><img src="http://www.didtheyreadit.com/index.p...f9314f9e95bf94" width="1" height="1" />
.
DELE 1
+OK message deleted
QUIT
+OK POP3 server signing off

---

You can send using their web-based front-end, or you can send using any email client, assuming they have your email address on record and you prefix the email address with .didtheyreadit.com ([email protected])

Anyways, because outlook 2003 (and I believe the new Express is going to do the same thing) blocks images by default... even if you have html email enabled, they'll never recieve a receipt.

Peace,
HT

These guys are brilliant!

/sarcasm

Knew it had to be some kind of web bug...

Thanks for testing it out HT!

/me puts on evil thinking cap...

Figure out how they "name" these messages ids and create a script to just keep generating random IDs and pulling down the web bugs... thats sure to throw off their little "tracking mechinism"...

:)
tst,tst,tst...TCP/IP syn/ack/...on open/on mouse over/on click/html/java script/embedded
GOOGLE MAIL...any/0.0.0.0 any any to home/save/log/sell/more spam/EULA/opt out/more spam/more spam/

IPv6 and ISP responsibility= Good ??? maybe, but vote with your dollar,dinar,shekel,yen,
whatever you can vote with, but above all, buy what you need, consume what you need.

If you are going to be stupid, be stupid!!! Learn how to write and use the post office again.

If Ghandi ever meant passive resistance, here's your chance.

I am fully behind those of you who disagree with the practice of "Forwarding Info", of a personal nature. I see more and more of our rights to privacy being Vaporized! :mad:


Tell them what you think. :p I am starting with their kind hosts.


Registrant:
Rampell Software
122 North County Rd
Palm beach FL 33480
US
617-395-7695
Domain Name: DIDTHEYREADIT.COM
Administrative Contact:
Rampell Alex [email protected]
122 North County Rd
Palm beach FL 33480
US
617-395-7695


:cool: ] < Me on phone with Admin drunk. keke

1. Due to the prevalance of "web bugs" in email, a lot of clients now default to not loading images - this includes mine, Kmail (which I also have HTML disabled by default, but I can enable it if I want)
2. Outlook2003 disables images in HTML emails by default?
3. It would be pretty trivial for the likes of Hotmail, Yahoo, gmail to block this sort of thing reliably. If they get enough requests to do so, they will
4. Stocks in didtheyreadit.com go **** up

It's vapourware, I encourage nobody to use it. Even if it works now it will be worthless soon.

Slarty

Quote:

---

Originally posted here by slarty

It's vapourware, I encourage nobody to use it. Even if it works now it will be worthless soon.

Slarty

---

I agree with this statement 100%!

Good point Slart. :D