FC: Microsoft Word and Excel track users, invade privacy

[Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>]

[This is a good reason not to use Microsoft Word or other snoopable
software. I wonder if there's a way to turn this off (short of
unplugging your network connection), or if not, whether Microsoft will
release a fix for those of us who aren't thrilled about this feature. --Declan]

************

From: "Richard M. Smith" <rms () privacyfoundation org> 
To: "Declan McCullagh" <declan () well com> 
Subject: Microsoft Word documents that "phone" home 
Date: Wed, 30 Aug 2000 10:55:13 -0400 
X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook IMO, Build 9.0.2416 (9.0.2910.0) 

Hi,


The Privacy Foundation has just released an advisory
on an issue that we discovered earlier this month
in Microsoft Word.  We found that it is possible to
embedded "Web bugs" in Word documents.  The Web bugs
allow the author of a document to track via the Internet 
where a document is being read.  The trick could be used
to monitor leaks of confidential documents from a
organization to outsiders as well as detecting
copyright violations.  In addition, it is also
possible to place Web bugs in individual paragraphs
and detect when the text is copied from one Word
document to another.


The complete advisory is available at the Foundation's
Web site:


   http://www.privacyfoundation.org/advisories/advWordBugs.html


A demonstration "bugged" document for Word 97 and Word 2000
has been set up at:


   http://www.privacycenter.du.edu/demos/bugged.doc


We also found that Excel 2000 spreadsheet files and
PowerPoint 2000 slideshows can be "bugged" in the same
manner.


Richard


================================================
Richard M. Smith           Phone: (617) 962-8351
Chief Technology Officer   FAX:   (617) 731-5572
Privacy Foundation   


Email: rms () privacyfoundation org
http://www.privacyfoundation.org
================================================



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