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Tracking Cookie Issues? Spyware Equivalent?

Zemo999
  |     |   103 posts since 2017

Curious about whether others have had similar experiences to mine, and whether they find it concerning:

At two different credit unions in the past couple of weeks, one of them being Summit FCU in Wisconsin, I've had a devil of a time opening an account online, as 'become a member' and 'open a savings account' produced a graphic of 'wait' dots increasing and decresing in size - but never getting to the next step, even after 30 minutes of waiting. Summit was clueless as to why - suggested I update my browser, perhaps. Upon my own time-consuming investigation, I found that the culprit was that my anti-virus program has a 'do not track' feature - which rejects tracking cookies from all sites, meaning a site can't plant cookies on my computer that reports back what sites I visit, what links I click on, and in some cases can access sensitive information such as user names and passwords - which is a prime reasons to have 'do not track' in the first place. When I disabled this, suddenly the problem disappeared.

I find this very disturbing - at best, it's a *relatively* benign feature - *maybe* it's just limited to tracking what I click on, on Summit's site. At worst, it's an undisclosed (or maybe it's buried deep in their disclosures) piece of 'spyware' that tracks where I go, what I do, what I click on elsewhere, etc. to either market me or distribute/sell my info to Summit's 'partners' (ever notice that disclosures often say that while the institution may be affiliated with 3rd party sites, but won't be responsible for the 3rd party sites' disclosure policies - go and read them, if you can find them?)

After all, by looking to open a CD, I'm lending *them* money, not the other way around. Would their executive team agree to my tracking *their* online behavior, in order to ensure the health of the bank? I'm sure they'd balk at that.

Anyone else have this kind of experience, and do you find it disturbing, or is it standard, just not disclosed by most intitutions?

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7


Answers
betaguy
  |     |   180 posts since 2022
The internet IS spyware.
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7
txFish1
  |     |   476 posts since 2023
Not exactly the same scenario but I have had a CD with United States Senate FCU for several years and within the last few months everytime I go to their website it asks me to accept cookies before I proceed. It also states that you can go to their privacy policy and adjust your preferences but it may affect your website experience. Never really understood why a credit union would have the need for tracking cookies but I honestly do not think they would allow any 3rd party cookies to be used. I may be wrong!
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2
Zemo999
  |     |   103 posts since 2017
txFish1 - TY for your post. Yes, it's common internet behavior for sites (and not just FI sites) have you agree to their cookie policy. What I'm focused on is when sites don't explicitly tell you they're giving you 'tracking cookies' that will report your internet behavior to them. And if you dig in and read disclosures, it's common practice for the FI to say they can't control what the 3rd party sites they share your info with may do with that info - and says you need to read the privacy policy of the 3rd party sites - which are never named, so no, you can't do that. betaguy may be right that the 'internet IS spyware'; but I'm unsettled by FI's tracking your behavior/info without alerting you, except perhaps in some 37 page document that nobody reads.
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4
JeffinEasternFL
  |     |   744 posts since 2020
"Paranoia may destroy ya..." so the song says...
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2
Ally6770
  |     |   4,292 posts since 2010
I use duck duck go, private browsing and have checked in my programming do not track and the IP address is blocked. I have no trouble getting into any of my credit unions which are probably close to 10/
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2
planxy
  |     |   140 posts since 2013
Yes they will always add your ID to cookies file. Removal of cookies without interference in necessary protocols can be done automatically in program "SUPERantispyware." Also, more complicated,are extensions "Disconnect" and "Ghostery" . Have used for years now, none of the 3 interfere with normal home computing.
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2
Ally6770
  |     |   4,292 posts since 2010
Safari shows I have no extensions. My son transferred everything from old Mac 10-12 years old to my new one the first of the year and I had none on that one either. If you click on the Safari button it shows none and the Apple people checked it also when I asked them and they put something on my computer that runs every day and it shows nothing. Not sure what it is but they put it on and shows what if anything it found and if they had to delete it. Apple people said I still have no extensions.
I have nomorobo call on my phone and sometimes I have to let them know that the phone call from the credit unions with the code when I get another credit union that they are not spam calls and not to disconnect them. A thing on my TV screen will show if a phone call is spam, suspected spam or a real phone number with a name of who is calling. I am sure there are more things that can be done but all junk mail goes to my junk file and I right click it and block it.
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