Xref: utzoo comp.org.eff.talk:2281 alt.privacy:487 alt.censorship:2114 Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!wuarchive!uunet!tellab5!vpnet!louisg From: louisg@vpnet.chi.il.us (Louis Giliberto) Newsgroups: comp.org.eff.talk,alt.privacy,alt.censorship Subject: Re: Prodigy charged with invading users' privacy (was Re: Lifestyle Information ( was Re: Safeway Stores to Accept Charge) Message-ID: <1991May01.165140.22452@vpnet.chi.il.us> Date: 1 May 91 16:51:40 GMT References: <1991Apr30.143000.17493@cbnewse.att.com> <1991Apr30.184714.4675@mnemosyne.cs.du.edu> <1991Apr30.185752.4913@mnemosyne.cs.du.edu> Organization: Vpnet Public Access Lines: 65 In article <1991Apr30.185752.4913@mnemosyne.cs.du.edu> sbrack@isis.UUCP (Steven S. Brack) sends us an article stating: > >intentionally uploading information we need more proof. Anyone who is >actually interested in this can monitor what is going out to the modem >and then make their charges. Just because it is in a scratch data set >proves nothing. Also that their customer reps can't answer any >technical question about their software reveals nothing other than >they are like the telephone company operators we all deal with :-* > [author's name deleted since not involved in this conversation] > ===== End Reposted Article ===== Thank you for that article. It was *very* informative. I cancelled Prodigy a while back for the E-Mail limit reason (plus I recevied access to Internet, so I don't need it; I can annoy people here). A couple of comments on the above author's question of proof: (they are *not* Mr. Brack's; he just forwarded the info!!) 1) If I were a programmer with a scratch data set that was basically a cache as Prodigy claims they use it, I would not save unused sectors; would you? True, with Windows (tm MicroSoft) you can have a permanent swap file, but that is permanent in size, it nevers grows or shrinks. The Prodigy file *does* change in size, and I doubt it's due to a faulty allocation algorithm. 2) If there is *any* information from sectors that have been not deleted, then that is proof positive that the program is picking your files. If it were merely allocated and unused sectors containing data from the last delete, then it would not be able to contain "live" data. 3) As for using the hard disk area, no, as a programmer I would not. The reasonbeing that I was not given that area to use. I was being used on a floppy. If I did put a temp file on the hard drive without prior consent (GOd only knows why some idiot programmer would do that), I sure as hell wouldn't copy the sectors over to the floppy. Why save the sectors of a temp file? Temp means temporary! 4) The problem with a "saved" cache as this seems to be is that on Prodigy, the screens change *every* day. There is no reason to save the cache. That's true of any cache. On Windows (tm) you can have a non-permanent cache; why? because the info is worthless after that session. The permanent cache just ensures enough drive space is always present. The Prodigy cache seems to be dynamic, so it isn't saved to ensure enough drive space. Why is it saved then? 5) I've expressed my opinions on Prodigy before, and I'll express them again: It is one huge marketing scam, IMHO. I would not be surprised if they were gleaning info for marketing purposes. There is no service beyond sales. This is from an ex-Prodigy user. If it weren't illegal, I might suggest someone reverse compiling / unassembling the code an poke around. But that's illegal, so I won't suggest it. :-) I'll have to check my disks. I wonder what they thought when they found like 10 megs worth of Phrack on my hard drive? ;-) Louis Giliberto (louisg@vpnet.chi.il.us) -- --------------------------------------------------------------------------- ! "As above, so below; as below, so above" -- The Kybalion ! ! "I don't trust him; he has dark hair" -- My girlfriend's mother ! ! "So I'm stupid; what's your point?" -- Me !