A tracking pixel finder protects you from a potentially dangerous class of online objects known as Web bugs. Web bugs, like tracking pixels, can give website owners and commercial interests information about you that you'd likely prefer they not have. Tracking pixel finders work behind the scenes in applications that you likely use every day.
Web Bugs
Web bug refers to a class of objects used to determine if a visitor to a Web page or the recipient of an email has performed a certain action. For example, an owner of several websites can determine if individual surfers have visited their sites by implanting a Web bug in the sites that requires the surfer's computer to request a certain image each time they visit one of the sites. Tracking pixels are a class of Web bugs that use images exclusively.
How Tracking Pixels Work
A tracking pixel is typically a 1-by-1 pixel image in the GIF format. When navigating to a site containing this image, your Web browser will, in the course of executing the page's source code, request this image from the site's server, even though you can't see it. The server identifies your computer by its Internet protocol (IP) address, and with this information, the Web master can determine if you've been to that site before.
Tracking Pixel Downside
The use of Web bugs, and tracking pixels in particular, is frowned upon. Because of the way a tracking pixel works, someone using them can determine not only when the tracking pixel was accessed, but where, as well. The tracking pixel is activated when the recipient loads the images within the email, which is recorded by the server. The user's IP address is then sent to the sender's server. The IP address contains information concerning the recipient's location.
Tracking Pixel Finders
A tracking pixel finder is a script used by an email service or a plug-in by a Web browser that actively searches for tracking pixels and either prevents them from loading or warns you that the site is employing them. In the case of an email service, the tracking pixel finder identifies a Web bug and then the email client prevents the associated images from loading. In some cases, an email service prevents all images from loading unless you allow them to by clicking on a specific button or link.
Tags: email service, from loading, pixel finder, tracking pixel, images from