Windows XP Hacks [Electronic resources] نسخه متنی

Hack 45 Fix Windows Media Player's Privacy Problems

Lurking beneath Windows Media
Player's slick exterior are potential invasions of
your privacy. Here's how to fix them.

XP's
Windows Media Player Version 8
poses potentially
serious privacy problems that, theoretically, could allow Microsoft
to track what DVDs you play and could allow for the creation of a
supercookie on your PC that would let web
sites exchange information about you. There are things you can do,
however, to protect your privacy when you use Windows Media Player.

If you use Windows Media Player to
play DVD movies, whenever a new DVD is played, Media Player contacts
a Microsoft server and gets the DVD's title and
chapter information. The server, in turn, identifies your specific
version of Media Player, uses a cookie to identify the DVD
you're watching, and then records information about
the DVDs you watch on to a database on your hard disk in
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application
Data\Microsoft\Media Index.

Microsoft claims that the cookie used is an anonymous one that
can't personally identify you. The company also says
that it does not keep track of what DVDs individuals watch, and that
the database created on your PC is never accessed from the Internet.
Instead, the company says, it's used only by your
own computer; the next time you put a DVD in your drive that
you've played before, Media Player will get
information from that database instead of getting it from a Microsoft
web server.

Still, Microsoft has had its share of problems with privacy before,
so you may or may not trust them to keep the information private.
There are two solutions to the problem. You can change your cookie
controls to the highest level [Hack #34] so that your PC
will reject all cookies. That carries with it its own set of
problems, however, because then you won't be able to
use customization and other features of many web sites. A better
solution is to open Media Player and choose File Work
Offline. That way, Media Player won't contact a
Microsoft server.

As for the so-called supercookie that Windows Media Player creates,
it's a unique ID number in the form of a 128-bit
GUID (Globally Unique Identifier) assigned to
your player and stored in the
Registry. You can
find it in
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\WindowsMedia\WMSDK\General\UniqueID.
This ID number can be retrieved by any web site through the use of
JavaScript. The ID number is called a supercookie because it can be
retrieved by any web site. Normally, web sites
can retrieve only cookies that they create and put on your PC, so it
becomes difficult for web sites to share information about you.
However, this supercookie can be retrieved by any site to track you,
and web sites can share this information with each other, allowing
them to create a sophisticated profile about your Internet usage.
Additionally, cookie blockers can't block its use.

There's an easy way to fix the problem and protect
your privacy, though. From Windows Media Player, choose Tools
Options Player. In the
"Internet settings" section,
uncheck the box next to "Allow Internet sites to
uniquely identify your Player."
That's all it takes; the problem will be fixed.

If you download and install
Windows Media Player 9, you can
stop these privacy problems before they begin if you pay attention to
the installation questions. During the installation, look for the
screen asking you for your privacy preferences, as shown in Figure 5-7.

Figure 5-7. Choosing your privacy options when installing Windows Media Player 9

The
Enhanced
Content Provider and Customer Experience Improvement Program options
are the ones that can be problematic. When you check boxes in those
areas, Windows Media Player will report on your music and movie use
to Microsoft and will also put the supercookie on your PC. So, if
privacy is a concern of yours, just say no.

5.5.1 See Also

For more information about Windows Media Player privacy issues, read
articles about it by privacy expert Richard Smith at www.computerbytesman.com/privacy/supercookie
and www.computerbytesman.com/privacy/wmp8dvd.