Web Beacon

---

A web beacon is a small, invisible electronic file that is placed on a web page or in an email message that counts users who visit a web page.

• also called a web bug
• can tell if a user opened an email message and took some action with it
• can monitor user behavior
• A clear GIF (Graphics Interchange Format) is a type of image format that is often used as a web beacon
  • clear GIFs are invisible and very small
• recognize several different types of data
  • computer’s IP address
  • browser
  • time you retrieved the beacon
• track users by a random identification number that contains no personally identifiable data
• used by spammers to verify whether an email address is valid
  • If a recipient opens a spam message with a web beacon
  • information is returned to the spammer, which shows that the message was opened
• cause privacy concerns because they secretly monitor user behavior and internet browsing patterns
  • let website operates know which pages a user looks at
  • disclose the order in which the pages are viewed
  • the info, when combined, can identify a computer user

Tip

You can try to avoid web beacons in email messages by not downloading messages that contain images.

• That is why many email programs prevent pictures from downloading automatically
• The email program lets you decide whether to download images