Why block web hit counters?

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Why would many corporate networks be blocking services that record hits for web sites. I use StatCounter, and have a piece of code on my web page that tries to "ping" an address there, which records the hit, where I can examine the logs later.

Recently, I have found that my firewall logs are recording far more hits than what statcounter is doing. After investigating this, by surfing my site thorugh open proxies on corporate networks, I have figured out that StatCounter, and other services that record web sites are being blocked on many corporate networks.

Why would they want to block the "ping" that many web sites send to StatCounter, and other "hit counter' service. Its only a few hundred bytes, and allowing the pings to go through to the various hit-counter services are not going to be that much of an impact on the network, so there is no sense in blocking the ping that many web sites are configured to send back to the various hit counter services.

It took me a while to figure out what was going on. I am seeing hits from many corporate networks in the firewall logs that do not show on on StatCounter, becuase corporate network admins have choen to block the pings that are sent back to the hit-counter services.

From what I see, my online radio station is a SMASH HIT in Asia. I am

seeing HUNDREDS of hits an hour from corporate networks in Asia, to my web site, during the workday in Asia. I am seeing hits to my web site , on port 80, from many corporate networks all over China, Japan, Korea, and Hong Kong, in the firewall logs, that do not show up in StatCounter.

Corporate network admins really need to get a 'effin grip. Allowing the hits to any web site to show up in StatCounter, for the webmasters to examine, is NOT going to undermine the network. Corporate network admins need to ligthen up a little.

Reply to
chilly8
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But to the user. Such counters are stupid advertisement and thus an annoyance to the user.

Reply to
Sebastian G.

Chilly, you really are a troll. People that run/own networks don't owe you anything and don't need to allow anything other than what they WANT TO ALLOW.

Personally, I block all third party items, and that really shows how unethical some websites are, as their web pages show missing areas - it's funny that people are starting to learn how ADs are setup on sites and how third party info is found on sites.

The cool thing is that Admins are doing their jobs properly and securing at least parts of their networks anyway.

I can't wait till they get the basics right and you find that corporate networks no longer allow access to your crappy services through crappy proxy servers - it's really simple to block them, and block you in the process.

Reply to
Leythos

Actually, there are some very good reasons why we block the traffic you suggest - it's just an added bonus that it annoys scumbags like you.

Reply to
Default User

X-No-Archive: Yes

Using a service like StatCounter is NOT unethical. ALL it does is record the user's IP, and the time and date of access, and then send that to StatCounter's computers. The big difference is that I get a complete geolocation analysis on every visit that IS logged there. It also get information on what operating system was used, and what web browser the visitor was using. It is NOT unethical for StatCounter for gather that information and store it on their servers for webmasters to retrieve later on. I am using the PAID version of the service, and expect to get what I paid for.

Reply to
chilly8

Sure. How does that benefit me?

Reply to
DevilsPGD

However, it is unethical for the webmaster to annoy the user with things that don't benefit him.

Sure. You get a collection of information from users who are willing to provide them. However, the users are free to not provide them. So you can expect something from SiteCounter (providing the service to you), but not anything from the users (providing their information to StatCounter).

Reply to
Sebastian G.

Ah, but the way that StatCounter operates, the user does not even KNOW that his or her visit it being logged. When a user goes to a web site, he/she/they/it should expect to have their visit logged SOMEWHERE. StatCounter is no different than any other log. What StatCounter does is TOTALLY INVISIBLE to ALL users that visit my site. The typical web visitor does not even SEE the web logging service in action. They just surf the site, just like they would any other site, and StatCounter is totally INVISIBLE to the user. Since any user who visits any web site should expect their visits to be logged, the invisible logging service I have it NOT unethical in ANY way.

Reply to
chilly8

You really are a hack - the unethical part is that you don't own or control the networks and have no right to complain about what the admins/owners of those network permit. Blocking that crap like you complain about is good - it saves network bandwidth, saves internet bandwidth, removes an exploit vector, removes tracking information...

It doesn't matter what YOU have/paid/want - the fact is that your added counts increased bytes that move across the users network and they don't want it, so they block it, and that's all you get.

Reply to
Leythos

Wrong - you are consuming the users bandwidth, you are accessing their network, you are a third-party link on the page....

Logging users without their permission is unethical.

Reply to
Leythos

Who cares? It takes a little bit bandwidth and processing time for providing absolutely no benefit to the user.

Reasonably he should expect it beside understanding that it's superfluos and thus no reasonable website would do that.

it is, because it simply shouldn't be there.

Anyway, unethical or not, you should not complain that user simply block it. If you have a problem with that, you should cease business.

Reply to
Sebastian G.

In the same way your troll-feeding benefits me?

cu

59cobalt
Reply to
Ansgar -59cobalt- Wiechers

You can get the same (or better) information from your own webserver logfile. You DON'T have to pay extra for that!

I just don't like any page counters. Especialy if they are from a different site. Will block ALL coockies from those sites! Just a waste of bandwith.

Rudy

Reply to
God Rudy

Without explicit consens of the (end-) user this is illegal.

So complain where our money vanishes, not where admins protect their users from nosey "webadministrators".

Cheers, Jens

Reply to
Jens Hoffmann

German/European privacy laws don't apply to the entire world... anyway, how should some statistical information related to a website, at best machine-identifying but never personally identifying information be considered a privacy problem in a lawful context?

Where does our money vanish? Only his does. :-)

Reply to
Sebastian G.

And German/European laws also DO NOT APPLY to StatCounter, because their SERVER are in TEXAS, so they are ONLY subject to the laws of the UNITED STATES and NOT to German laws. I ran the IP number of their server through a geonalysis service I have, and it comes back that StatCounter has its servers based in Houston, Texas. Even though they are an IRISH company, their SERVERS as in TEXAS, making their content and service ONLY subject to AMERICAN laws. German laws DO NOT APPLY to content coming out of a SERVER in TEXAS.

Reply to
chilly8

Wow. Tell news.

Broken keyboard. y doesnt work all the time.

Reply to
Jens Hoffmann

snipped-for-privacy@hotmail.com wrote in news:1189764004.324619.86760@

22g2000hsm.googlegroups.com:

If that were so, then they would not be able to block it.

This thread has been informative. I'll be adding new rules to my firewall now....to block StatCounter.

Brian

Reply to
Skywise

X-No-Archive: Yes

It is NO different than logging users in my own firewall logs. When a user visits ANY web site, he or she should expect to have their visits logged by SOME logging system.

However, I get all kinds of information on web visitors (if StatCounter logs it). I also get the "referrer", which tells me if someone clicked on any links from another page to reach me. For example, I see in the StatCounter logs hat some web page in China has linked to me. Since I do not speak Chinese, I do not know what the web page is about, but it explains why I am getting so many hits from workplaces in China, Hong Kong, Taiwain, and Mcau, during the workday there. Had it not been for StatCounter's service, I would not have known that someone is China is linking to me.

My firewall logs are showing hits from corporate networks all over China (many not logged with StatCounter), since my site is in English, it takes a lot of guessing until they find the right button to push to get to my station, but I am seeing more listenership from corporate networks in China and Hong Kong during the workday there. My music programme, when running, is apparently a hit at workplaces in China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. Methinks I will have to add a programme of Chinese pop music during the workdays there, to bring in even more listeners (though such music is hard to find outside of Asia).

Reply to
chilly8

Who cares what you get? If the user doesn't want it (and doesn't need it either), he's free to block it. NUff said.

Reply to
Sebastian G.

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