What does ebay collect in cookies? + Can I edit?

[starengine]

Let's say I have a new computer, never browsed anywhere before.

I got to ebay and browser around.
The evil masters start collecting data.
What exactly do they collect?

Do they collect and store ONLY in cookies?

Or do they send information back to mothership and start making a profile on you?
That wouldn't make much sense to me since you don't have an ID.

Cookies: could I edit and change and add extra bits of info I wanted to put in? (Only want to do this for completely new users who have not registered and are JUST browsing.)

If I could edit, that be super useful.

Any thoughts?

[agent006140]

if you sign into your Ebay account,then they can throw a cookie on your PC.
if you just browse around without signing in,it does nothing.
Unless I misunderstand what you are asking.

[starengine]

Originally Posted by agent006140

if you just browse around without signing in,it does nothing.
Unless I misunderstand what you are asking.

No, you are wrong.
They collect data. They all do.
Go to ebay in a normal browser (i.e. not incognito mode)...
Browse around search for product XYZ and ABC. Click on some 3rd party ads maybe.
Close browser and visit again next day. Items you searched for will appear. + 3rd party ads you clicked on will ALSO appear again.
The only way they can track this is by using cookies.
I wanted to know if they send back to mothership as well - even though you are not logged in and registered yet?
+ Is it possible to edit this cookie?

Disclaimer: all of the above is an educated guess. You could be right in what say. Would be good if someone more educated than us gave an opinion. 🙂

[agent006140]

if so,then you need to delete the cookie after you are done browsing.
or is it more than the cookie?
someone more knowledgible may chime in later

[starengine]

Originally Posted by agent006140

if so,then you need to delete the cookie after you are done browsing.

i dont want to delete. i want to keep, edit and manipulate!

[james_112233]

Originally Posted by starengine

i dont want to delete. i want to keep, edit and manipulate!

Would be very difficult to do that. If you could edit cookies and manipulate you would have found a breach in their security or any website/company for that matter. You won't need to run an ebay shop to pay your bills you could get a job in one of the highest paying careers at the moment. Cyber security.

[Play]

I cant imagine you can edit cookies. Even if you did somehow manage to do it, i'm sure they'd know its been tampered with.

Bare in mind its cookies that lets you stay logged in. Delete the cookies and you're logged out. If it was that easy, I'm sure cyber criminals would have taken advantage.

[phaz0rz]

This might help

https://www.editthiscookie.com/blog/...edit-a-cookie/

[starengine]

@phaz0rz I found that extension last night before I read your post.
Great minds think alike. ��

So it is possible to to edit cookies!

But... using it last night, the information stored looks like it's encrypted for every single field. It still should be possible to decrypt and analyse the structure of data contained. That would involve getting insider information from ebay though. LOL.

On a new portable browser, never logged into ebay... I opened ebay and browsed. I looked at the cookies - there were plenty galore stored.

[Pinion]

Ok, respectfully, if you just edit the cookies then your browser is going to be the one with the red flags because of the missing cookies (that normal people do not delete).

Your browser has a fingerprint built from all the sites you visit, accounts you login in with, IP addresses you route through, etc. Your browser's "fingerprint" is unique to you and the habits you have online.

Your computer also stores temporary internet files of frequently visited sites like low-rez images, text, links etc. All of these can be detected and tracking pixels left in much of it.

eBay uses tracking pixels, they are using browser fingerprints, they are using any red flags showed too, like routing that doesn't fit the IP addresses you are running through, altered metadata and missing files etc.

To top it off, Google loves to collect and share data and every time you use a Google service or Android device, you are either adding to your profile or shadow account, even from your gmail or incognito mode. Google then shares this data with everyone in exchange for data, fees or network access.

This is why the safest way to use ebay is with a new computer on a mobile hotspot with a clean user account and use a browser like firefox instead of chrome. Never (I'm mean NEVER) run that computer on the same network (or on the hotspot at the same time) as any other computers you have used that could have your user or a friend or family member's fingerprint.

Also, these sites are using AI (at least Amazon and Google are) to detect user typing patterns, which are as distinct as your browser fingerprint. So, if eBay is doing that too, it is possible they can detect you by typing too.

Finally, same goes for any images, html or other ebay assets you reuse.

Now, to answer the OP. Run incognito in Firefox (Tor might be fine too, but haven't tried it) on a hotspot (or equivalent) and you are probably fine.

And YES they are building at least a shadow profile on you.

[starengine]

@Pinion
You make it sound like a dangerous place - where there is almost no hope. :(

You are right of course. It's something that makes me ANGRY.
How they can track you like hound dogs and think there is NOTHING wrong with it.

The sea is changing I think. 'They' (Google, Amazon, Facebook AND ebay and others) need to think clearly before they decide to track us Joe Public.

One thing I would say is though that it can't be rocket science to be able to 'tamper' with a cookie and not make it look like is was tampered with.

Sure... use notepad and you will give it all up and they will see a tampered cookie.
But analyse as much as you can about thier cookies and storage and you should be able to figure out enough. We don't need to figure out everything - just some things.

The typing patterns - that's like crazy. I've heard it said before in other places.

[Therealrenodaret]

is this to say that in incognito mode i cannot just open ebay up and go to ebay without logging in and do a seller search to check bids on all my multiple stealth accounts?

will this link me?

[phaz0rz]

^^Not advisable but probably won't get you in trouble.