websites and privacy

["Hephaestus" <hephaestus () phreaker net>]

> > I am browsing a website & next day I get spam from them in my
mailbox....
> > Is this coincidence?
> >
> > Or in general
> >
> > What is the maximum harm in terms of privacy that a malicious web site
can
> > cause to a casual surfer?
>
> Did you submit a form or give them your email address?  If not, the
> question is what are you running and how is your browser configured?  If
> you didn't submit or somehow give them your email address, then unless
> it's coincidence, you better check your settings.

Also be aware that if you have a cookie on your machine that can be tracked
back to your identity due to your interactions with another participating
site, a website can identify you.  In the absence of a coincidence, I would
suspect one of the banner ad/user tracking networks like doubleclick or
sextracker.

A variety of cookie related tools can help mitigate this threat.

http://www.junkbusters.com/cookies.html
http://www.epic.org/privacy/cookies/default.html