Forum Moderators: open
The newest version of Microsoft Corp.'s Internet Explorer browser will be able to send Web page readers to other sites without the permission - or even the knowledge - of the page's owner.article here by Nando [nando.net]
I can only speak for Denmark, that I know very well :)
We have very strict marketing, consumer protection and copyright laws here. I am pretty sure that this would at least violate our merketing law §1 and possibly the copyright law as well. I am not convinced that a opt-out function for webmasteres would be enough to justify it.
Off course, if Denmark is the only country in the world (which I do not think) where this is - or could be - illigal - then that won't mean a thing to MS. But I know at least a couple of other European countries that have simliar laws to us where i doubt it will be legal either.
I think it would be a terrible oversite of us, as a collective, to not at least attempt to follow the process first.
We could all email the president. His address is available publically, just try Presidential email address search [google.com] The first link is a little dated, but the web address for Mr. President Bush is the same as it was for Clinton.
How is this "smart tag" thing going to pan out with Google's algo using pagerank and linking as a major component? You'd think it would mess it up...yes?
he couldn't immediately see what the big deal is with this MS browser plan -- I really had to really walk him through it. I wonder if enough people can be educated fast enough to make a difference.
I think that is the problem: it is difficult to explain to people in a way they understand without coming off as a wild "conspiracy theory."
While education is the solution that probably should be used, it won't be effective until it is too late and all is lost anyway.
I hate to advocate this, but I honestly believe the only way to really overthrow SmartTags is for them to be used in ways that frustrate the person browsing, and thus be considered by search directories and engines as spam.
If enough people unsuspectingly click on a wavy lined Smart tag only to be taken to a p*rn or offensive site, then *maybe* the public might backlash against it.
However, all of us have had pop up/ under windows with potentially offensive material open when we unsuspectingly clicked to a site, and while this has not lead to the demise of pop ups/unders, it has definately bolstered public opinion against them.
Perhaps writing to the president is a good idea, but not an effective one, at least to nip this thing in the bud. I think we should write to search directories.
If Yahoo, ODP, Looksmart and other search directories don't allow sites with smart tags on them into their directories, then hopefully, the use of SmartTags will decline or fall into disfavor.
Look at sites with long intro flash movies. That could have become the biggest rage for all web sites to change their format to forever, but Yahoo editors didn't like to wait for the downloads. Consequently, the use of long "watch my marketing piffle" flash movies upon entering sites has fallen somewhat. Webmasters who do use flash now try to use flash more intelligently because they know directories won't stand for it otherwise, resulting in poor or no SE/ dir rankings.
If you hit people in the pocketbook, they will listen.
-G
I actually think all the cards should be played:
a) Contact SEs/Directories
b) Education (promotions of sites explaining all)
c) Legal
d) Political
Some are stronger than others, and they work at different paces, but collectively all these cards would surely be more effective than just using one.
Nope, this is a browser/OS application. Unless Google get the software from MS their crawlers wont "see" the links. So it won't chage anything for Googles PR
Yeah, Sean pointed that out to me too..duh.
-G
Right now, MS is just doing this with the browser.
If it progresses as Mr. Tabke thinks it will, is the next step after that to have all MS servers do smart tags at the server level?
In other words, would the MS server operating system default to "SmartTags on" for all pages hosted on it?
*shiver* Thankfully, MS servers just can't hold a candle to Unix...One more reason to stay with a Unix server...
*sparks an idea* Speaking of Unix,
If the following is really the case
Microsoft also will allow third parties to build their own Smart Tags,
then perhaps another avenue of killing this off is to get the GNU programmers interested in this.
Certainly a free SmartTag system that anyone could get off the web for free would allow much abuse to happen and cause it to be banned by directories...yes?
-G
I've got a client who does cell phones. What if I buy "buy cell phone" off of Ericson's and Nokia's homepage? The only way those two could stop it, is if they are running MicroSoft servers.
They say there might be the possiblity of a hidden meta tag that you can insert on your website? This plan should be Opt In only. OptIn by the websites, and OptIn by the user.
If the tags are inserted on IIS hosted web sites then webmasters would jump ship from NT/windows 2000, I dont know anybody who designs websites and wouldnt be appalled at the ability to change the appearance/content of their pages.
Of course as Brett has said this will be a case of slowly boiling the frog, they will keep making little changes until the public accepts it.
I do not see MS as the devil or anything, but they do behave in dubious ways.
I am particularly annoyed by the fact that MSN has boosted their traffic figures by:
1. using msn.com as the default for entries in the browser window that lack domain suffix
2.using msn.com as default for anyone leaving hotmail
This new tags can have a profound change on how traffic moves. I think it is very important that we (read you and I) bring these conclusions to our local press. Let MS feel that the public understand what they are trying to do, before they implement it all the way.
Hey, GOTO, did ya hear what MS wants to do?
As someone said, this is FlySwat's system, borrowed by MS. Hope FS had it patented..
Well I do!
If I could opt out "Smart" tags on UNIX servers (and no one can) I would bill Micro$oft for the work.
They are again heading for troubles...
YET. I am sure one could write some sort of server patch for Unix boxes to opt out of smart tags...where there is a will, there is a way...and there is so much animosity of Unix users against MS, there is not a doubt in my mind that it will happen.
I am trying to think of a way that a spammer could use this technology to their benefit. I am kind of thinking out loud and typing, so my logic might be full of holes, but try to follow my train:
Let's say I make a gnu based plugin which could be downloaded automatically to someone's browser. This plugin, because it is free and with a gnu license, could be programmed by other webmasters to point certain smart links on their pages to other pages they choose.
I am thinking there would have to be two parts to this: the gnu based plugin that is downloaded to a user's browser and another piece on the server for admins to tweak where the smart tags point.
To get this to a user's browser, I'll bet that someone could hide this download in a flash type movie the user stumbled into. (Can't figure out how the plugin is downloaded to the user's browser, but let's say that it is there.)
The server on which a web page is hosted sees that the plugin is loaded on the person's browser and then will send out a script to cause the smart links on the pages hosted on that server to point to where ever the webmaster wants them to link.
For example, I have this plugin downloaded on my browser, and I go to Ericsson's site. The server sees I have this plugin and will program the smart tags to point to the shopping area of the site.
Let's look at it from a spammer's point of view. I could make an innocent page on the Colorado Avalanche (sports team for all y'all outside the US). Fully themed and has a great description in Yahoo so it ranks well there.
After I put this site into Yahoo, I tweak the tool on the server's end.
The server sees that someone has the plugin on their browser and decides that the smart tags on what seems to be a site about the Colorado Avalanche and sends the unwary user to p*rn sites.
If this happens to enough people, then the nice folks at Yahoo will say "Forget any page with smart tags at all.." If you don't have this turned off at the server level, then don't bother submitting your sites."
SmartTags dies a slow death.
Tell me if that is full of holes...it was off the top of my head, so I am sure it prob is.
-G
And according to the Wall Street Journal article (Drastic):
"...Microsoft says, it will provide a free bit of programming code, called a "meta tag," that site owners could use to bar any Smart Tags from appearing on their sites..."
So don't you just add a metatag (like a no-cache or something)?
But if there's no way to bar it, I guess I'd just use browser detection and serve all pages requested by IE6 as image maps, no text on the page for it to muck up... ;)
Why should we have to go to the efoort of changing every page just to remove a feature that is imposed on us?
I'm sure Microsoft must understand that they haven't slipped this one past anybody yet, and they may not be able to. The internet has a certain inherent freedom that no corporate interest can completely undermine.
