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Feature Cookie Search Engine

Discussion in 'Support & Feedback' started by digitalpoint, Jun 16, 2013.

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  1. #1
    I've always been pretty interested in analytics and various ways to get at that data...

    Long story short is I built a search engine that spiders websites, records various info (some JavaScript objects, cookies that the spider ended up with, etc.

    ...and now you can use it yourself.

    https://tools.digitalpoint.com/cookie-search

    Certainly some interesting data you can see with it... you can see that more than 68% of all websites use Google Analytics, or that 67% of all WordPress sites are using the latest version (pretty remarkable considering how many there are), or you can see how the most popular version of vBulletin is still the old 3.8.x version, and that pretty much no one is using the latest and greatest (5.0.x).
     
    digitalpoint, Jun 16, 2013 IP
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  2. Blogmaster

    Blogmaster Blood Type Dating Affiliate Manager

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    #2
    Blogmaster, Jun 16, 2013 IP
  3. digitalpoint

    digitalpoint Overlord of no one Staff

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    #3
    I know, right? lol wtf
     
    digitalpoint, Jun 16, 2013 IP
  4. Blogmaster

    Blogmaster Blood Type Dating Affiliate Manager

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    #4
    I am surprised it hasn't been reported yet. And if it has been reported, I am surprised blogspot hasn't deleted it yet.
     
    Blogmaster, Jun 16, 2013 IP
  5. Revelations-Decoder

    Revelations-Decoder Well-Known Member

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    #5
    Facebook button doesn't leave a cookie (which is why it's not shown)

    Facebook not using cookies how do they do things then where others use cookies, tell us more?

    I must be in the smaller percentage as have not used Google analytics on my sites in years as figured I just don't have time for all that, myself, in my plans.
     
    Revelations-Decoder, Jun 16, 2013 IP
  6. digitalpoint

    digitalpoint Overlord of no one Staff

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    #6
    Facebook uses cookies, they just don't set one with the Facebook Like button (they aren't tracking you across multiple sites if you aren't logged into your Facebook account). They are *reading* cookies if you are logged into your Facebook account, just not tracking you if you aren't like other social buttons are.

    They have a little info on it here:

    https://www.facebook.com/help/250558818375285/
     
    digitalpoint, Jun 16, 2013 IP
  7. Revelations-Decoder

    Revelations-Decoder Well-Known Member

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    #7

    Ah, I see. thanks.

    I am begining to wonder if somehow Facebook are able to know what I do using chrome and Google search as I noticed recently the last couple of times I went on there the ads we're targeting rather strangely coincedental things one might normally expect to only follow if it was Google controlled ads. It was likely just me adding 2 and 2 and coming up with 5 though.

    To get back on topic :oops:

    That's another real interesting thing you have put together there Shawn...

    I am sure many will like this one. :)
     
    Revelations-Decoder, Jun 16, 2013 IP
  8. digitalpoint

    digitalpoint Overlord of no one Staff

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    #8
    digitalpoint, Jun 16, 2013 IP
  9. Revelations-Decoder

    Revelations-Decoder Well-Known Member

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    #9

    Yes I get that, but what was strange for me was that my Mrs had been logging in to my FB playing some game and so as expected I started to get a couple of associated, what I call spam, emails but what was strange is if "my" bahviour was tracked on FB then the ads I was seeing (for SEO related things) should not really have been showing as SEO was associated with my off FB behaviour (bearing in mind I might go on FB for maybe 2/3 minutes in a week) where there was no logical reason for FB to be showing me SEO related ads, if you get my drift?

    A bit off topic sorry!
     
    Last edited: Jun 16, 2013
    Revelations-Decoder, Jun 16, 2013 IP
  10. digitalpoint

    digitalpoint Overlord of no one Staff

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    #10
    Well if you are logged into your Facebook account, they are still *reading* that cookie. For example if you are logged into FB, Facebook knows you visited this site because of the Like button.

    Really the only difference between Facebook's Like button and other social buttons are far as tracking goes is they aren't tracking you if you *aren't* logged into Facebook, while other ones are. If you go to facebook.com, and you don't have to log into your account, then you are "logged in", and Facebook is able to cross reference you as a user to what sites you visited with the Like button on it (or any other Facebook widget).
     
    digitalpoint, Jun 16, 2013 IP
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  11. Revelations-Decoder

    Revelations-Decoder Well-Known Member

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    #11
    LOL and there was me not even considering that aspect. I always log out of Google (to search and well not do anything I really must not be logged in to do) but logging out of of FB wasn't something I was until now aware of being able to affect the ads I might see.

    You live and learn eh...
     
    Last edited: Jun 16, 2013
    Revelations-Decoder, Jun 16, 2013 IP
  12. Blogmaster

    Blogmaster Blood Type Dating Affiliate Manager

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    #12
    So have you detected a connection between the types of sites you visit and Facebook ads?
     
    Blogmaster, Jun 16, 2013 IP
  13. Revelations-Decoder

    Revelations-Decoder Well-Known Member

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    #13

    It is looking that way to me recently Blogmaster, though I think perhaps we need a thread about it as don't want to hijack Shawn's thread. But yes definately getting ads related to things I am doing off FB as most of my own "real" FB activity is not even me, as my Mrs had been logging in on my account to help her play some game she recently had got into for a few weeks. Playing that resulted in associated ads being displayed in my feed (and "mysterious" associated spam emails) but the only logical reason for SEO or marketing related ads being ads being displayed was my off FB activity.

    I think digitalpoint/Shawn has pointed out what the likely cause is though, and apologies for going slightly off topic about FB tracking cookies etc here.
     
    Revelations-Decoder, Jun 17, 2013 IP
  14. Blogmaster

    Blogmaster Blood Type Dating Affiliate Manager

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    #14
    That was not my intent. But when Shawn talked about the like button things made sense more than ever and no, there is no need to send a cookie through a like button if people are logged in. I am assuming Facebook doesn't have to send a cookie as probably the majority of people are logged into Facebook at all time.
    I have been getting friend suggestions from FB which surprised me. For example: Old highschool friends, no friends in common, no likes in common. Others, nothing in common either, but we visit similar sites.

    The only thing that makes no sense is the ads for games, as I have never played one. But I guess that is Facebook's relentless attempt to get you to participate in them so you spend your whole day on their network wasting time and clicking on ads.
     
    Blogmaster, Jun 17, 2013 IP
  15. Revelations-Decoder

    Revelations-Decoder Well-Known Member

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    #15
    Revelations-Decoder, Jun 17, 2013 IP
  16. Blogmaster

    Blogmaster Blood Type Dating Affiliate Manager

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    #16
    Some sites I already suspected of cookieing you excessively turned out to do just that.
    infowars.com for example installs 95 cookies.

    CNN.com 46. Not as high, but still ...
     
    Blogmaster, Jun 17, 2013 IP
  17. digitalpoint

    digitalpoint Overlord of no one Staff

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    #17
    It's crazy the thousands of sites that give you 100+ cookies...
     
    digitalpoint, Jun 17, 2013 IP
  18. Blogmaster

    Blogmaster Blood Type Dating Affiliate Manager

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    Blogmaster, Jun 17, 2013 IP
  19. digitalpoint

    digitalpoint Overlord of no one Staff

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    #19
    Nope, don't use Firefox.
     
    digitalpoint, Jun 18, 2013 IP
  20. digitalpoint

    digitalpoint Overlord of no one Staff

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    #20
    Tracking some additional info now... AdSense Publisher IDs, Analytics Profile IDs, AddThis Publisher IDs, ShareThis Publisher IDs, etc.

    How is this useful? The system can cross-reference sites using the same IDs (and probably owned by the same entity).

    For example, you can see "Associated Domains" when you pull up a specific domain:

    https://tools.digitalpoint.com/cookie-search?domain=autos.com

    You can also see some fairly interesting marketshare metrics on the main page here: https://tools.digitalpoint.com/cookie-search

    For example we know jQuery 1.8.x is the most popular version (probably because WordPress uses that version by default).
     
    digitalpoint, Jul 2, 2013 IP
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