[split] South Park video trouble and browser privacy

[omae mona]

Just watch it online..

http://www.southparkstudios.com/episodes/251888

No mysterious "obtaining" required..

Is it just me, or are other people seeing nothing but a sideways "frownie face" when they try to play the video?

[osopolar]

Is it just me, or are other people seeing nothing but a sideways "frownie face" when they try to play the video?

Just you?
You try updating your flash software?

[omae mona]

Just you?
You try updating your flash software?

Yep. Still the same

[FG Lurker]

Yep. Still the same

Maybe a different browser then? Definitely works okay here...

[omae mona]

Maybe a different browser then? Definitely works okay here...

SON OF A BITCH!!! Thanks FGL. All OK now. Mystery not solved but I have a workaround now.

[FG Lurker]

SON OF A BITCH!!! Thanks FGL. All OK now. Mystery not solved but I have a workaround now.

What was the browser and version you were using originally?

[omae mona]

What was the browser and version you were using originally?

Well, it turns out I forgot the most golden rule for viewing broken web pages: "turn off the paranoid security settings that Omae Mona turned on". My Firefox "network.http.sendRefererHeader" was set to 0. I hate the fact that web sites can log what other web site I was visiting when I clicked on their link. Anyway, restoring it to the default (2) brought back South Park. South Park probably just doesn't want direct linking to their videos.

[Yokohammer]

I hate the fact that web sites can log what other web site I was visiting when I clicked on their link.

You gotta be kidding!

Straighten me out on this: Do you mean that they know what website you were previously visiting if you click on a link to their website that's on the previous website, or they know what website you were previously visiting even if it's not a direct link from the previous website?

[Mike Oxlong]

You gotta be kidding!

Straighten me out on this: Do you mean that they know what website you were previously visiting if you click on a link to their website that's on the previous website, or they know what website you were previously visiting even if it's not a direct link from the previous website?

I think your first guess was correct, but it'd be better if an web-savvy IT-type answered.

[omae mona]

You gotta be kidding!

Straighten me out on this: Do you mean that they know what website you were previously visiting if you click on a link to their website that's on the previous website

Yes. More precisely, they know the exact page you were visiting when you clicked through. Your browser voluntarily passes this information along (unless you take countermeasures.. see below)

or they know what website you were previously visiting even if it's not a direct link from the previous website?

Fortunately that does not happen. The information is only passed along when you click on a link.

Since this is a browser "feature" that has been in all browsers since the early days, you have to take specific steps to turn it off. In Firefox, you can do the following:

1. In the URL box, type "about:config". This opens the Firefox configuration screen
2. Find the entry called network.http.sendRefererHeader. Its value is probably set to 2, the default.
3. Change it to 0 (zero).

Note that after you do this, some web sites will fail to work properly. In particular, sites that want to block direct linking to internal material, from external web sites, tend to block requests if your browser does not assert that you started from their own web page. For example, the Tokyo Reporter page will not display the photos once you disable your Referer header.

[Screwed-down Hairdo]

You gotta be kidding!

Straighten me out on this: Do you mean that they know what website you were previously visiting if you click on a link to their website that's on the previous website, or they know what website you were previously visiting even if it's not a direct link from the previous website?

I may be wrong, too, but my understanding is that website administrators can easily find out what site you've come from and what site you go to. I know when I ran a website, I could do that. At least, I knew the IP address of visitors and could track down the suburb where they lived. To find out exactly who they were, all I would have needed to do was contact their ISP, explain why I needed to know the identity and would get the details every time.
The Internet is X%^{!@ scary!!!!

[Yokohammer]

Thanks guys!

Appreciate the info!

(Edit: tried to deliver a greenie OM, but apparently I need to be a bit more promiscuous before I can do that ... sigh ...).

[FG Lurker]

You gotta be kidding!

Straighten me out on this: Do you mean that they know what website you were previously visiting if you click on a link to their website that's on the previous website, or they know what website you were previously visiting even if it's not a direct link from the previous website?

(Got delayed by a phone call so it looks like there are a few other replies already! Will post anyway as there is a bit extra here...)

If you click on a link (on FG for example) the receiving site will know where you came from. This is how webmasters / site owners can tell what is driving traffic to their sites and is an integral part of the web.

If you cut & paste a link into your browser's address bar (or click on a saved bookmark/favorite) then there is no referrer information that gets passed to the next site. This doesn't necessarily mean that the site owner won't know where you got that link from though, many links have referrer codes embedded in them. Sites like Amazon and eBay have programs where people can earn commissions by referring people. For example, if you buy something on Amazon.com after using FG's Amazon referal link Ultra will get a small commission. Same for Amazon.co.jp.

If you are posting a link (to FG for example) but don't want that link to provide referrer information to the destination site you can use a service like http://cloakedlink.com/ That site works as an intermediary between FG and the destination site so that the destination site will not see the link as coming from FG.

[Mock Cockpit]

To find out exactly who they were, all I would have needed to do was contact their ISP, explain why I needed to know the identity and would get the details every time.
The Internet is X%^{!@ scary!!!!

So you're saying essentially that you as a private citizen can get the private details of subscribers from the ISP? I find that hard to believe. You've actually done this or is it in theory, your meaning is a little unclear.

[Screwed-down Hairdo]

So you're saying essentially that you as a private citizen can get the private details of subscribers from the ISP? I find that hard to believe. You've actually done this or is it in theory, your meaning is a little unclear.

Often you would need to go through courts. There were special circumstances involved, but when the ISPs found out about these, they were very helpful.
Sorry, my wording in the original post is bad. ISPs never gave me any exact details, but they did pass those details on to the appropriate authorities without a whimper.