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where it was opened. In addition they can find out about your computer operating system and the
email client or web browser you are using to read the email.

Email tracking is used by individuals, email marketers, spammers, hackers, cyber criminals and
phishers, to verify that emails are actually read by recipients, that email addresses are valid, and
that the content of emails has made it past spam filters. When used maliciously, it can be used to
collect confidential information about businesses and individuals and to create more effective
phishing schemes. Most likely email tracking was employed with a spear phishing attack on Sony
Pictures to learn what kind of environment they had inside their network and then to attack them
with a Remote Access Trojan (RAT) through email.

There are dozens of email tracking companies and software to choose from with leading companies
including icontact, constant contact, didtheyreadit, getresponse, activecampaign, interspire,
getnotify, mxhero, litmus to yesware and so many more. Now anyone can afford email tracking
because most sites off either a limited free account or free trial. On the limited free accounts you
can only send so many tracking emails each day but they are completely free. Others offer a trial
period such as 7 day free trial.

Is Email Tracking Creepware?

Email tracking can be considered #CREEPWARE because if you don’t inform the recipient of your
privacy policy, they may not know they are a victim of being eavesdropped upon. On the other
hand for business purposes the argument is that you don’t have to send a followup email and annoy
someone to see if they opened your email or read it. The business argument is that you will learn
how to better communicate with your customers.

What other ways are we being tracked?

Email tracking is only a part of the tracking process. Most folks have smartphones with apps that
track them in even creepier ways every day. Companies that want to track you will use your email
and your apps on smartphones and tablets plus search engines and social media sites like
facebook and others will continue to expand their invasive eavesdropping on our behavior. The fact
that email tracking is free and easy for anyone to try out and use, means it will probably continue to
grow as another tracking arrow in the marketing or creepware quiver.

Beyond normal marketers, spammers, hackers, cyber criminals and phishers, some folks including
spouses might use this method to make sure their spouse is where they say they are and some
companies, including HP used it to make sure Board members weren’t leaking information to the
press or wall street analysts. Even investigators, attorneys, skip tracers for debtor or fugitive
tracking and collection companies are using this tool to track people down.

Most people don’t realize how our emails are being tracked. They simply open their emails, read
them, ignore them or delete them and move on to the next email. Most people don’t have antispam
technology enabled and many of these emails get passed spam and antivirus filters. I think it’s
creepy for folks to use email tracking, even if it passes legal muster, without at the bottom of each of
these emails, informing the recipient and offering them an opt out option. Privacy is good for

61 Cyber Warnings E-Magazine – February 2015 Edition
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