IE8 + Porn Mode = What for CCbill, Epoch, NATS, etc?

[RawAlex]

As I am sure most of you are aware, the new IE8 browser which is currently in beta will feature a "porn mode" (what they call in private) that sort of puts a stick in the wheels of some forms of tracking. One of the more obvious features is that if a certain setting is activated, third parties cannot cookie or track a user.

Also, any cookies that are kept (temporarily) is dumped at the end of the session along with browser history and other stuff (even saved passwords, EEK!).

These types of options are already available on the (used only by some artsy geeks who woulnd't buy porn anyway) Mac, and is also a plugin option for firefox (which might potential become a built in feature to compete with microsoft).

Implications? Sites using cookies to track returning clients will no longer be able to do so, so those cam sites and such with the 180 day cookie or cookie for life will have no way to keep that promise in the future. That means that if a guy visits a site, closes his browser window completely and then comes back to the site in a new window 2 minutes later, then there will be no cookie and no way to track that user.

So, here's the question: How does this affect NATS, MPA, CCbill, Epoch, Netbilling and Jettis and their click tracking systems, and how will it affect affiliate tracking over all?

As it is, there is very good potential that this will directly or indirectly affect third party ad providers that use cookies or other information to decide which ads to show, such as Google Ads. While it isn't clear the complete deal, it appears that ALL information can be denied to third parties, which might even suggest information like calling page. This could really change some things.

Anyone have any ideas? Would anyone from the companies like to bless us with some information based on their tests (which I am sure they have all been making, as they are forward thinking companies)?

[softball]

how about affiliate marketing that depends on cookies?

[RawAlex]

Well, for the most part these days, affiliate marketting (in the porn world) is done through one of a very few methods (most of while I listed above) except for those programs who use their own software.

Add to the list executive stats.

At this point, the cookie appears to be dead, no longer useful for much of anything.

[jdog]

Originally Posted by RawAlex

As I am sure most of you are aware, the new IE8 browser which is currently in beta will feature a "porn mode" (what they call in private) that sort of puts a stick in the wheels of some forms of tracking. One of the more obvious features is that if a certain setting is activated, third parties cannot cookie or track a user.

Also, any cookies that are kept (temporarily) is dumped at the end of the session along with browser history and other stuff (even saved passwords, EEK!).

These types of options are already available on the (used only by some artsy geeks who woulnd't buy porn anyway) Mac, and is also a plugin option for firefox (which might potential become a built in feature to compete with microsoft).

Implications? Sites using cookies to track returning clients will no longer be able to do so, so those cam sites and such with the 180 day cookie or cookie for life will have no way to keep that promise in the future. That means that if a guy visits a site, closes his browser window completely and then comes back to the site in a new window 2 minutes later, then there will be no cookie and no way to track that user.

So, here's the question: How does this affect NATS, MPA, CCbill, Epoch, Netbilling and Jettis and their click tracking systems, and how will it affect affiliate tracking over all?

As it is, there is very good potential that this will directly or indirectly affect third party ad providers that use cookies or other information to decide which ads to show, such as Google Ads. While it isn't clear the complete deal, it appears that ALL information can be denied to third parties, which might even suggest information like calling page. This could really change some things.

Anyone have any ideas? Would anyone from the companies like to bless us with some information based on their tests (which I am sure they have all been making, as they are forward thinking companies)?

Well if we're talking about third-party cookies, then all should be good. As long as the signup pages are on the same domain the hit trackers are on, we're good. For example, our signup pages are nscash.com, our hit tracking script is on nscash.com and registers a *.nscash.com cookie. That cookie is a first-party cookie since the cookie originates from the url that in the address URL.

To the next question how will it affect tracking, I can't say for certain on the Epoch/CCBill/Jettis/Exclusive, but as for the software NATS & MPA they will most likely be first-party cookies. And I know that both these affiliate platforms track by IP address. The downside to IP tracking is most places track IP addresses by 24 hr periods as that is the normal time that the ISP DHCP servers release out IP addresses. The processors should be using first party cookies too and using some sort of IP tracking in the interest of the affiliates, but I can't say for sure exactly what they are doing.

Now I can fully understand the third party cookies 100%, but first party I hope they don't go to the extent that you're claiming. What it's going to take is for these affiliate packages to try and reinvent the wheel to get around this and find a new means of tracking the customers. I did use IE8 beta when first came out and used it a bit, but the CSS engine was messed up and haven't touched it much. But at that time (default) the cookies were storing properly and didn't run into such issues, but I'll check out and see if they have a new beta release and see how it operates.

[RawAlex]

jdog, you need to download the browser - it is VERY simple to block first party cookies as well, it seems. From what I am understanding, no cookie (first or third party) will be truly useful anymore.

[jdog]

Originally Posted by RawAlex

jdog, you need to download the browser - it is VERY simple to block first party cookies as well, it seems. From what I am understanding, no cookie (first or third party) will be truly useful anymore.

Am downloading on my laptop right now They must have changed that since the first beta they released.

[RawAlex]

At the end of the day, it comes back to the question: how do programs track a no-cookie referal?

If cookies exist for a single browser session, are we going to see people once again zero framing all the popular sponsors on every page to try to get a cookie set even for a few minutes?

[DannyCox]

We have a couple of Macs at home, and using the Safari browser, I can block all cookies or just third party cookies. I have it set to block the third party ones as they serve no purpose to me. But I think the average user will just set it to block everything as they don't understand the concept of cookies at all.

[Toby]

What is the default, out of the box, setting? That's what most surfers will be using.

[DannyCox]

The Safari default is to "only accept cookies from sites you navigate to" and the "Private Browsing" is off. You have to turn that on by agreeing twice to use it. When it's on, it doesn't save or cache anything for anything. The Firefox plug-in for Private Browsing works in the same way.

It wouldn't be a fun way to surf in that it doesn't keep anything, including search terms, logins, and anything that can normally be auto-filled. But...that is just what the horny husbands are looking for so the wives can see what they've been doing!

[RawAlex]

Danny, you hit it: The whole idea is to leave little or nothing behind, no user names, no cookies, no tracking, no cache, no history... It is essentially like getting a brand new browser every time you open it, fresh and clean.

If nothing else, those cam sites with the 180 day cookies are going to have a hard time with it!

[DannyCox]

oops...I meant to say "wives can't see what they've been doing"

[boobbucks]

Originally Posted by Toby

What is the default, out of the box, setting? That's what most surfers will be using.

I agree. Many wont adjust settings on their own. I am confident that we in the industry will be able to keep up with any new technology that Microsoft throws at us.

[Hell Puppy]

If ya think IE8 kyboshs some of the industry's favorite shenanigans, wait til you see the Google Browser.

[RawAlex]

Yup, google chrome is going to be a weird one, all the toolbar installers and malware purveyors are going to have a bad day when this comes out... I suspect another 20-30% of the IE users to move over.

[Top_Of_Google_Man]

Mozilla/firefox i believe are adding the same feature .

[RawAlex]

Anyone have some contacts in the Billing companies to see if any of them have anything to say other than to wave their paw and say "bah!"?