Folks,
A few months back, StatCounter was approached by an advertiser, offered lots of $$$, and asked to include a spyware cookie on all of our member sites…we refused on the spot.
You install StatCounter to track visitors to your site NOT to open yourself and your visitors up to being spied upon by phantom advertising corporations.
It appears, however, that other players in the world of webstats were happy to take up this offer…
We were shocked to discover just today that another well known stats provider is allowing up to 9 cookies to be installed in the browser of every visitor that hits one of their member websites. This means that the provider is making money by transmitting data on you and your visitors to a third party advertiser. Not only that, but to add insult to injury, the cookies are causing the member websites to load very slowly too.
In light of this, StatCounter wants to assure you that we track your visitors for you, only you and not any one else.
Which provider would you prefer??
By the way, welcome to our new blog 😉
Things like this makes me proud of being a Statcounter user.
I know that you guys would probably never read this comment of mine [seeing as how many are saying the same thing over and over again :lol:], but I still think that it would be great to leave a comment in order to thank the entire StatCounter team for providing us with excellent service and by demonstrating selflessness and integrity at the brink of temptation [now I’m starting to sound like a fanatic priest or something *LoL*].
Thank you! Best wishes to all of you!
StatCounter Team Response:
Darvit! We read every comment!
Thanks so much for your kind words and support. Honestly, we just can’t believe the reponse we’ve had to our post. Talk about motivating us to improve the service even more! Cheers!
StatCounter Team
You guys are by far the best on the web. Thank you for remaining so very cool :).
Thank you for the update, ethics, & great service. I’ve used your free services for years, and hope to upgrade soon. I do have a question however about how my receiving ‘prompts’ (via browser settings), denying most cookies, enters into this.? With my site, people do not need to accept cookies from either my host or from Statcounter. Everything displays fine either way. I have recently enabled ‘free stats’ via two different webhosts that I’m with (paid hosting), on a few pages, and am grateful that your news helps me to think about and pay more attention to this issue.
Thank you greatly again for all.
Thanks for the NO to cookies! Your site is great!
Rick
I’ll add into the comments and say kudos on passing up on the easy money 😉
Thanks to andylat and Statcounter team for the immediate answer.
Searching within previous comments, I found this:
“If you have StatCounter:
Clear your cookies.
Visit your OWN site.
You won’t see any cookies other than a StatCounter one – this means that we are NOT foisting nasty cookies on your visitors.
If you have “the other provider”:
Clear your cookies.
Visit YOUR site.
Gasp at the amount of cookies created – this is what all your visitors are being subjected to!”
Pienso que tambien puede ser util para otros, asi que lo traduzco:
“Si tienes StatCounter.
borra todas las cookies (en tu navegador).
visita TU PROPIA página.
Y no veras más cookies que la de StatCounter – esto quiere decir que no imponemos a quien te visite cookies maliciosas.
Si tienes instalado “otro contador”
borra las cookies.
visita TU PROPIA página.
Mira la cantidad de cookies que se crearon – esto es a lo que los visitantes de tu página han estado expuestos.
Gracias a andylat y Statcounter team y disculpas por la molestia ocasionada por no revisar bien todos los comentarios (en mi descargo, puedo decir que son muchisimos)
PD: Sorry for my lousy english
Wow thanks, It makes me proud to know that StatCounter dosn’t do that bad stuff.
I’m really proud of being a member A StatCounter!
BRAVO!!!!
THANK YOU, Statcounter!
Your service is outstanding (I love every bit of it), and now I find that you are scrupled as well. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Mwah!
First of all I say thank you, and will click on the google ads to help! 🙂 yeah!
Adding my support to your decision ~ thank you!!!!!
We have been with StatCounter for about 1-1/2 years and have not received an email from you. How do we become part of your list? 🙂 And, more importantly, why have we not been on it?
StatCounter Team Response:
Thanks Mushiba!
We just sent you an email on this – check it out!
I’m glad you stuck to yur guns and not allowed this .
I can’t stand those things .
No allow spying .
Hi
Great free service, I keep recommending you to clients and they like this service as well.
Keep up the good work.
Nigel
Statcounter rules
This is great. I have always used your service on my sites. I know that you get added pagerank weight even with the invisible counter, but it is still well worth it. Doesn’t hurt me any. Keep up the great work.
As a new user I am so relieved you chose the high road.
didio juliano Says:
March 26th, 2007 at 12:40 pm
Exelente decisión han tomado.
Como usuario me gustaria que publiquen un post en este blog, informando como descubrir si otros servicios utilizan o no, spyware.
Gracias
Hola didio juliano. Jenni de StatCounter me ha pedido en mi blog que si te podia responder, ya que si bien entiende lo que dices, no sabe como responderte.
Mira, solo mi experiencia con otros servicios de estadisticas me ha permitido ver cuando otros contadores empiezan con estas practicas. Basicamente sucede cuando sin ningun motivo aparente salen pop-ups desde tus paginas, siendo que no lo has puesto tu ahi. Como recomendacion para ver si un servicio es confiable o no, te sugiero que hagas un pequeño seguimiento de el en Internet antes de tomarlo. Esto te permitira a base de opiniones de usuarios el ver si un servicio es de calidad y confiable. No te puedo dar ejemplos en este blog, por que seria dar publicidad gratis
Saludos
Thank you Star Counter. It is nice to know that someone is on our side.
Bruce
Thanx stat counter!!! Y’all rock!