Every move of your mouse is being recorded...

Well, maybe not here... but this technology give me goosebumps. And it looks like it's free for anyone to try, developed for people who do online marketing (I'm not there yet.)
But it's like someone is now in your bedroom, office, study, etc -- with a video camera, looking over your shoulder. Check out the quick video. Wow.

http://www.clicktale.com/

I'm sure someone will find a software program to detect and counter this and it will sell like hotcakes.

Who ever dreamed up this nightmare just did every thief in the internet world a huge service. If this thing actually records everything on a web page, including the order pages, I know one person who isn't going to buy anything online ever again!

I can't believe anyone would be willing to be spied upon thusly. Every click? Every move? There goes your credit card numbers, despite SSL, which the site/movie specifically says won't stand in the way of their program (check about half way down the pricing page).

If somebody doesn't come up with a block...a GOOD and THOROUGH one...and very quickly!...there goes every online business down the tube as soon as the public really understands what this nightmare is all about.

It's a total invasion and I don't want anything to do with it. Tweaking your site is one thing, spying on your competition is another but this!!! is absurd and a total invasion of privacy. Good-bye internet. Bet the gov will be rejoicing over this one.

Sandi Bowman

I hope it's not "the end"... An "antidote" will probably be developed and will sell millions. Then there will be a "hack" for the antidote. Then we'll find out later that the people who developed the antidote are the same people who own "clicktales"...
Money on both ends...
However, it appears on the FAQ section that it only tracks "random" visitors on the actual webpages -- so if a visitor leaves a site and links to Paypal or Clickbank, does the tracking stop?
Then again, why would anyone believe the FAQ section?

KBayer and Sandi,

Thanks for your concerns.

The sky isn't falling just yet.

Assuming it can do what it claims and the FAQ is accurate, this most important thing to notice is this...

As with other web analytics packages, website owners add a small piece of JavaScript code to their web pages.

Turn off Javascript and you'll never have to worry about your mouse clicks being recorded. or set up some kind of JS Scan on incoming webpages for those which have the clicktales JS on them.

Michael Ross

They've been saying this kind of stuff for years...
http://nickcowie.com/2007/warning-yo...eing-recorded/
http://www.nbc5i.com/consumer/5419829/detail.html

Soon everyone will have a micro chip planted in the palm of their hand...
http://www.greaterthings.com/News/Chip_Implants/

Like it or Not...

Gone will be all those credit cards, identity theft But you'll still be followed...

And of course Everything will always remain on your computer...

So Tracking will Never end...

Unless you Burn your computer...

Phil

[Ankesh]

Hi Sandi,

The bigger ecommerce websites like amazon have been using such technologies for years now. Yes - they can track exactly what area of the website is more popular. And which link people click on and which they don't.

But its not un-secure. If you buy from them, they get to read your credit card numbers anyways. Now they get to see you entering it on a video too. The website owners are the only ones who can access the info.

This information is usually used to make heatmaps of the webpage. Seeing a single person's navigation isn't very helpful. But seeing 100s of peoples navigation together is.

Its similar to Paco Underhill going to supermarkets and tracking how people act and buy.