Do individual installs of Opera Identify themselves to websites?

Do individual installs of Opera Identify themselves to websites?

I'm just wondering how some of these user-tracking advertisers are identifying me. Even if log off the internet using my broadband modem and log in again to get a new IP address I still see these adverts. (I am not 100% sure of this as I only tried it once for one day.)

I 'think' I have managed to stop google adsense by going to their web-based control settings.

Now I am seeing Pulse360 ads. Use Operas adblocker will only stop me seeing them. It won't stop them tracking me and storing info about me. I don't care that they say it is anonymous.

And how many more such companies are there? I want to get at the root of this and somehow stop it for all tracking. But if my own install of Opera has a unique ID then then I am lost. Unless I delete the install and maybe format my drive and re-install Windows every day then re-install Opera. This is ridiculous.

Originally posted by Fidcal:

But if my own install of Opera has a unique ID then then I am lost.

I am not someone who studies about browser security, but to my knowledge there is nothing known as Browser's ID. A PC has an IP address which can frequently or occasionally change. Applications on the PC don't have any ID or a different IP address. So all applications on your PC will have have the same IP address.

Originally posted by Fidcal:

Now I am seeing Pulse360 ads. Use Operas adblocker will only stop me seeing them. It won't stop them tracking me and storing info about me. I don't care that they say it is anonymous.

If you are talking about ads (advertisements/Flash ads) then Opera's Content blocker can block them or you can use Opera AdBlock extension. If you are talking about trackers (for example Google AdSense, Google Analytics etc.), then you need to use Ghostery extension.

Thanks Swapnil99pro - I've taken your advice and installed Ghostery. See how it goes.

But I have enable plug-ins only on demand so I'm not sure if that will prevent it working.

Identification can occur in many fashions, some of which are:

* Cookies (particularly third-party cookies). Policies can be changed by global or site specific preferences.
* IP address to geographical location, the easiest of which is country, more detailed lists can pinpoint at least your city. This address is associated with your computer, not the browser, and is necessary for sending and receiving information on the network (same as you need give others a mail address for them to send you a letter)

Changing IP address seldom works against cookies, and the IP address will likely be in the same pool of 256 or 65536 IP addresses meaning that your geographical location does not change significantly,

Thanks yngve.

One problem with deleting the cookie for trackers is they then default to opt-in. The UK has made it legal to default to opt-in and the service need only provide an option to op-out (no matter how inconvenient or difficult to even know about or find.)

As for IP address pooling that suggests if I delete my cookie and start seeing lots of adverts for say, fishing tackle (which I don't use) that possibly I have inherited the IP of an angler living near me. I think I know who is he is.

I might try logging in/out daily anyway. A pool of 65536 might not be so bad. The annoyance is having to research this and experiment just to overcome something that ought to be a crime imo. I would have no objections if the adverts defaulted to untargetted adverts with a small text "customise options" for people who want to opt-in.

Problem with wrong IP address when I use Opera browser

I live in Denmark, and I use http://www.ip-adress.com/ to test my ip address.

When I use Opera it tell me that I am located in Poland with this IP 80.239.242.174

When I use Explore or Chrome browser, I am located correct in Denmark at IP 195.215.45.26

How can that be?

Have you enabled Opera Turbo, by any chance?

Yes it was enabled, and now when I disable, the location is correct. Thank you for a quick reply.

I had no idea that it was the effect of turbo. I believe that there is a explanation some where, can you give a link.

Thanks

Bjørn

http://www.opera.com/browser/turbo/

Originally posted by skovvej7:

I had no idea that it was the effect of turbo.

Wrong location detection of IP address is 99.9% of the times due to Opera Turbo. This is because http://www.ip-adress.com/ (the webpage you used for testing IP address) is sent to the Opera server and in your case the Opera server which Opera sends the request to compress the webpage and distribute back is in Poland. Due to the webpage being loaded from Poland server and ofcourse with a different IP address, http://www.ip-adress.com/ will show Poland as the country.

@yngve, that's an Opera Turbo explanation in general. It does not DIRECTLY relate to this problem of skovvej7.

Originally posted by Swapnil99pro:

Originally posted by skovvej7:

I had no idea that it was the effect of turbo.

Wrong location detection of IP address is 99.9% of the times due to Opera Turbo. This is because http://www.ip-adress.com/ (the webpage you used for testing IP address) is sent to the Opera server and in your case the Opera server which Opera sends the request to compress the webpage and distribute back is in Poland. Due to the webpage being loaded from Poland server and ofcourse with a different IP address, http://www.ip-adress.com/ will show Poland as the country.

@yngve, that's an Opera Turbo explanation in general. It does not DIRECTLY relate to this problem of skovvej7.

Thank's great support