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PDF Tracking On the Way
(el)Capitan.Nick writes "PDFzone reports that the company Remote Approach has launched a service to track the movement of PDF documents with its tool Map-Bot. The purpose of this service is to allow PDF publishers the ability to measure their audience, as web publishers can already. Though personal information is not gathered from machines, IP addresses are. PDFs can require users to be connected to the Internet in order to read them, and every person you email the PDF to is subject to the service. As PDFzone's opinion article states, while 'the chances of running into a Remote Approach PDF right now -- and in the near future -- are pretty remote ... the potential for the technology to tarnish PDF's image [of security] is staggering.'"
Oh, wait...
Your reality is lies and balderdash and I'm delighted to say that I have no grasp of it whatsoever. - Baron Munchausen
This seems a bit similar to the massive boycot of crappy microsoft software we have now. We know from this that people really care about the quality of the products they are using.
In reality people wouldn't even think a second before opening a pdf that includes some tracking software, all they care about it reading the contents, doube click and there you go. The only thing that stop this is a message that damages the image of pdf i.e. the big media labeling pdf as spyware, which it seems to become if this is implemented.
The only thing I don't get is that they need extra technology to do this. Can't they just check who's downloaded a file how many times? Or are they worried they'll miss the countless copies passed on by floppy?
HEY! That's mine you thief. How'd you get that?
> Just like I can shop elsewhere if I don't like
> being captured on a store's video surveillance
> camera.
Yes. You can. Contrary to common belief, your choices are not limited to Walmart and Kmart.
Warning: this article may contain humor, sarcasm, parody, and perhaps even irony. Read at your own risk.