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Link my accounts and BEACONS
 

I was on my PC, checking email. I accidentally hit the yellow ebay respond button in the email, instead of the reply button for the email. It quickly opened a ebay page page of another stealth account, the one I am on the user name and IP for. I was already logged into ebay under that stealth name.

Did I just link these two accounts?

If so, could it be thought to be public access maybe a library? What if I create a new user name and IP for the one who really belonged on this profile. And never log back into the older user name again or old IP again.

Are these connected for life? No information, name etc match. Only the user name and IP address...if it did infact connect. Is there something embeded in that yellow respond tab in the email other than to just open up a current ebay page?

I didn't do anything after it took me to that page. I logged out, and closed that page.

re: Link my accounts and BEACONS
 

Often, links do not become a problem unless one of the accounts gets restricted in some way.

Yes, a possible link has been created.

Also, if you are opening email from other stealth accounts on your main PC and images are displaying, that will also link the accounts. eBay and Amazon use beacons to tell them if the email was opened and that includes the IP address - eBay can see the IP which their image file was accessed from.

Probably not the best explanation, maybe someone else can put it in better terms?

re: Link my accounts and BEACONS
 

Wait a second, I can't read a ebay email and NOT click on any links from other ip addresses?

That doesn't make sense. What about the people who forward all of their ebay emails to one google and open it with their cell? They are then opening all those emails from all those accounts on their cell IP.

Something's not right about this, doesn't make sense.

re: Link my accounts and BEACONS
 

So long as you disable images and beacons while doing this you are fine.

Just have to ensure not to click any links .

re: Link my accounts and BEACONS
 

It makes sense to those doing this correctly.

It is stated ad nauseam to DISABLE images in gmail and NEVER click a link.

Been the case since the forum started in 2007.

:nono:

re: Link my accounts and BEACONS
 

What you're not grasping is what a web beacon is. Yes, many of us open emails from our cell phone and are not linked (I, do this alot). We do so, after disabling external content on our mail clients. (If you don't know how to do this, just ask or search the forum).

As stated by previous posters, you must also follow this tactic.

Unfortunately, you have linked your accounts. Why? Well, let's discuss what information a web beacon contains...

1. IP address
2. The type of browser that retrieved the image
3. Time stamp of when material was viewed
4. Cookies

#1 alone could have linked you, but the other 3 add to ebay/paypal/amazon's suspicions - and it's the reason why web beacons are so useful to them.

The web beacon is ebay/paypal/amazon's built in trap they set for us. Sounds like you got caught in the trap. Tread carefully w/ those accounts with the idea that they are now linked.

re: Link my accounts and BEACONS
 

OK, since all the "smart" people who give a darn about their accounts already know this, and it's clear that I'm so stupid and I just really don't care to do things the right way... maybe you could just tell me how to disable links in my gmail account so as to disable "beacons" that allow ebay to know that I opened NOT CLICKED ON A LINK but merely opened a email from an IP that another account has also opened a email from. I guess if two ebay people check their email from mcdonlds they are linked forever?

But does it really matter? Because from what you are telling me, all four of my stealth accounts are now linked, because I forward them to one gmail, and check that gmail email from where I want.

So what then? I have to start all over from scratch? How do we "disable links"?

re: Link my accounts and BEACONS
 

Amysol, you are NOT stupid... When I started with all this, I didn't understand everything either. It is par for the course. We live and learn and improve our knowledge and methods.

You want to go into your gmail account and disable images by default.

And you are correct in that eBay might think this is some sort of a public IP address or something. A link does not automatically ban accounts. Think of all the households where several people each have their own eBay accounts. Or, if people check their eBay accounts from a friend's house. Or a Starbucks.

The danger is if one of your accounts gets banned, the other accounts may be looked at. If enough similarities exist, they could go down too. But there are no guarantees of anything with eBay/PayPal.

re: Link my accounts and BEACONS
 

http://www.aspkin.com/forums/cookies...h-objects.html


Posters tried to aid you in the above older thread.

:surrender:

re: Link my accounts and BEACONS
 

Calm down & take a deep breath. I'm not calling anyone stupid or insinuating they are stupid and I am "smart".

I am sharing my knowledge in this area in hopes that it, not only helps you but others as well in the future. I don't gain anything by posting this information (other than the fact of knowing I'm helping others).

All I am suggesting is based on what you have posted, there is a strong possibility your accounts are linked and to operate them with the knowledge they are potentially linked.

If you thought my post was condescending or insinuating you were stupid, then I apologize because that was not my intention.

Best of luck,

re: Link my accounts and BEACONS
 

Good find GB!

@amysol, this could have been avoided if you read the suggestion in post#3.

http://www.aspkin.com/forums/cookies...tml#post478883

re: Link my accounts and BEACONS
 

Despite appearances I care that users do not have issues.

Maybe amysol may understand some veterans might know what is workable.

:peace:

re: Link my accounts and BEACONS
 

One time is unlikely to cause issues. As for connected for life and such, nothing to say 100% against but low likelihood - all you did was access the eB page with a reply...remote chance of anything bad happening.

Make sure not to repeat however.

Possible link but not strong would be a fair opinion.

re: Link my accounts and BEACONS
 

rsot, I respectfully disagree. The link is already made. Everything I've read on web beacons suggests there is a TON of information passed back to ebay as soon as you click on the web beacon image.


Definition of a Web Beacon

re: Link my accounts and BEACONS
 

At any rate does anyone know HOW to disable links in gmail.

I can't find anything regarding disabling links and images on gmail.

re: Link my accounts and BEACONS
 

Is this it?

External content:
- Always display external content (such as images) sent by trusted senders - Learn more
- Ask before displaying external content

If I choose ask before displaying external content is that what we are trying to do here?

re: Link my accounts and BEACONS
 

It doesn't work. I selected to ask before displaying external content. uninstalled the account from my iphone, reinstalled the google mail account and opened the mail and it's full of images and links just like before.

re: Link my accounts and BEACONS
 

Why do you attack people that are trying to help you (and then request for more help from them)?

re: Link my accounts and BEACONS
 

We were told from the very beginning that we could check our email from any website anywhere so long as we don't click on the links. Now, I am being told that in order to know if I've sold anything or have any messages, I need to log into the ebay account which takes a long time, I've been trying to log into one for 30 minutes now still no success as the ip that keeps coming up is one that has been used on another account. It's 8 attempts now to try and get a ip to log in. I don't get new ips, my IP just filters through the same 30 ips at random. SO being able to see my emails from whatever IP I want is important. But I still don't understand how.

In google, I switched to ask before displaying external content. That apparently wasn't it as the images and links still all show. So I have no idea how to turn off images and links in google. There are lots of people here who use google and perhaps someone will help me with that.

I tried doing it in comcast so it's done before it ever gets forwarded to gmail. However there, I can deselect download images automatically in html emails. But that is the only option. There is nothing about disabling links.

re: Link my accounts and BEACONS
 

To disable external content

1. Go into your g-mail account
2. Click the clog in the top right
3. Select settings
4. On the first page select 'Ask before displaying external content'
5. Scroll down and save changes

This will disable what you need disabled.

You can then use gmail to read any message and see the details of any sales without issue. You still have to be careful to not click on any links (unless on the correct IP address and the correct user account)

As for your IP issue, it may be worth looking at other access options, tethering and mobile dongles both spring to mind.

re: Link my accounts and BEACONS
 

James,

Thanks, Ok so I did that. But I still see images, and links....that's ok? IT is supposed to be like that? I thought if I did it correctly, then I wouldn't see links or images, etc. I just want to make sure now that I know how important it is, that I do it correctly.

Thank you! :-)

re: Link my accounts and BEACONS
 

When you open an email it should say

'Images are not displayed. Display images below - Always display images from ebay@eb ay.co. uk' (ignore the space)

If it shows this message your fine, if it doesnt then its not been done correctly.

You will see the links regardless. Just don't click them

re: Link my accounts and BEACONS
 

I AM opening on iphone and no i don't see them say images are not being displayed. HMM

re: Link my accounts and BEACONS
 

Which one is it?

re: Link my accounts and BEACONS
 

Are you used 3rd party software to read your gmail?

On a phone it should say something along the lines of 'internet pictures are blocked'

Need to know which method you are using, iPhone (and then what you are using to read the emails) or Computer to advise correctly.

re: Link my accounts and BEACONS
 

@amysol, just keep it simple right now (if you're having problems) and log into each eB of yours and answer e-mail via the site.

Beacon talk....again....
 

ebayaintstupid wrote EDITORS NOTE:
back in 2007

Is this the case? Or are we saying that ebay CAN track you when opening your email?

I have all my emails forwarded to gmail. I have gmail settings to

Images are not displayed. Display images below - Always display images from

Does this block the beacons? But the links are still clickable correct?


MAIN QUESTION: When reading the messages in my iphone with gmail, i do not see the "Images are not displayed" message. AM I safe, or not safe? The internet going to the phone is used for stealth.


thanks...

Re: Link my accounts and BEACONS
 

What do you mean keep it simple? I have 7 ebay accounts. I'd like to safely view them all in my gmail account. I was under the impression that was the simplest of ways to see what's happening everywhere in one place.

What I'm unclear about, is when I open gmail using the iphone mail app where I've set up my gmail account, I don't see the words indicating that I've blocked anything. However, when I log in on the pc to google email, I do see this.

I want to be sure that it's safe to view the emails from my iphone.

Re: Link my accounts and BEACONS
 

It means...since you are having difficulties blocking web beacons, it may be best if you keep it simple by just logging into your GMail account when you're at your PC.

JamesNorth has been kind enough to provide detailed instructions to follow on how to block web beacons.

If you did that already, then that should be all that is needed. Are you seeing graphic images? Or just text?

Re: Link my accounts and BEACONS
 

On the iphone I see graphic images, on the pc just the text. I thought I heard someone mention that it's ok on the iphone. But, I'm not sure.

Re: Link my accounts and BEACONS
 

You shouldn't see text on the phone either. I just checked my stealth mail on the phone now and I only see empty boxes of where the image gif's would normally be.

For example, where the Paypal logo would be, its just an empty box.

I use gmail app on my Samsung Galaxy.

You said you have an iPhone. Are you using the ibismail app to read your mail? If not, I suggest you do.

Re: Link my accounts and BEACONS
 

Additional steps you can take if you are worried:
1. in ebay settings, in communication preferences, change email delivery from HTML to Text

If you want to prevent accidental butt click on a link from your phone:
2. don't check email on your phone, only on a computer. Use thunderbird and change the setting to only display text only in plain text.
Select View | Message Body As | Plain Text from the menu.

If you want to prevent accidental reply from thunderbird
3. Prevent accidental reply to email from thunderbird by changing the SMTP setting on the account (you can put a bogus one last SMTPASPKIN.google.com

if you want to be bullet proof and prevent accidental click on link:
4. Change change the HOSTS file on your computer and redirect all paypal/ebay domain to 0.0.0.0

It may be overkill for most but I have employees that are great but I can't trust them to not make a mistake.

Note: You can also use step 4 if you have employees shipping your ebay orders from Auctiva and want to be sure they don't accidentally click on an ebay link and link multiple accounts.

thx
J.

Re: Link my accounts and BEACONS
 

The iPhone doesn't support flash, so flash cookies are not a concern , I been using it for 9 months no problems.
Just do not reply or click on any links from your iPhone unless you first clear all data cookies and have the appropriate IP. I just read the email and if there is a question I log into the account and answer the question.

Once you get your system down changing IPs can take anywhere from 2 seconds to 2 mins so not a big deal.

Because the iPhone does not support flash it is different than the android where it asks if u like to display images. I have both iPhone and android

If using android never turn images on if you have an iPhone just use common sense. If you try and respond directly from an email think about it what IP are you currently on or have you been on another account with first clearing cookies?

Use your IPhone as a tool for stealth. If I didn't have it if be lost I have an app to keep track and let me know if the IP I'm on is new . IPVIEW, the mail center lets you know when and what you have to do at the exact time with each account.

I have another app that is called Password Vault which contains one section of browsers with all stealth ID AND PASSWORD saved. You just need to click to log on, another section for notes where I have stealth 1 s2, s3, and so on with every piece of information associated with that account and so easily able to print or email to back up.

It has apps like TEXT+ where I create free phone numbers to verify every ebay seller account and then it has all your banking apps.

But it's best to log into your PC under the correct user id with cookies when operating your account especially paypal withdrawals. It's ok to use safari to log in to answer questions just clear all cookies , data , cache and new IP before hand.

Re: Link my accounts and BEACONS
 

would you please provide more information how to set up the Step 4?