Bots ? Data Protection : GDPR Compliance ?

[Chris From The Gulag]

Struggled to find an appropriate section ..... first Jack ..... this Section won.

Bots ? We can all see these little darlings in action by hitting the WHO IS ONLINE bit towards the bottom of the Forum page.

Reading threads to pass onto search engines is one thing but ... members profiles ?

Sinister or perfectly innocent ?

If the former , who is at the other end analysising profiles ?

If the latter , why read profiles in the first place ?

Any hidden ones geared to specific words or phrases ?

If I added " Always voted Tory " to my profile , would MI5.bot stop flagging up the rest of mine ?

Come out , come out , wherever you are ! I know you're in there somewhere !

Here kitty kitty ! Perhaps a saucer of milk might help ?

Over to someone with a plausible , but deniable , explanation ?

" There will be no whitewash in the White House ! " ... or words a little more believable ?

Couldn't convince Woodward or Bernstein ... thankfully !

Mulder perhaps ?

[susieq]

as far as I know the bots can't actually 'read' profiles - but I'm passing your comments to the Admin team for the IT guys to confirm.

(If you're looking at "Who's Online" you'll often see that a 'guest' is listed as 'replying' to a topic or viewing a profile - but they can't view profiles or post if they are not a registered member and I suspect that it's the same with the bots. Probably the forum 'registers' that they make an attempt to access but are turned back so's to speak.

[Pet66]

Forgive my ignorance but what are ' bots'
Also I notice my name at the bottom of the forum. It's not a problem, but is it a choice?

[Chris From The Gulag]

Thanks Susie.

One never really knows what those little darlings are really doing.

Perhaps one even mirrors itself into the Dark Web where all the really interesting cyber agencies lurk.

That's one trail even some of the best computer wizards cannot even follow. If they tried , they might be bounced around from one server to another as the offending Bot returns home to it's liar , unseen from prying eyes. Meanwhile , the partner bot carries on it's normal function, all above board.

Actual reality will be a major possibility for the next generation and the first working quantum computer. The ability of an elementary particle to be in two places at the same time. Extend that onto information being sent within proven quantum mechanical knowledge.

All's fair game in love and CyberLand ... as this post is translated , in real time , into American English and read in Moscow before been bounced across to it's intended destination , Langley ?

[Chris From The Gulag]

Bots ?

I'll try to make it simple.

On the internet , think of them as information carpet sweepers. On this site , they sweep up thread headings and deposit them into the rubbish bins , usually internet search engines.

Watching one in operation is simple. WHO IS ONLINE towards the bottom , pick a bot at random , identfy what thread it is reading.

Give it an hour or so , and then do a search of the precise thread heading through the rubbish bin ( Search engine in question ) and the heading of the thread should appear very near to the top.

For example ... Bing.bot = Bing search engine.

Recent , random thread heading ... Carers UK Members' Roadshow events ... appears on both Google and Bing search results with links to the thread.

Slightly odd as the thread started in the Members Corner section , which is only accessible if a member logs in but , freely accessible through clicking on the link provided by the search engine .... thus bypassing the log in requirement. I just logged out , and read the thread through the search engine link as a test.

Another one for the computer wizards to investigate ?

On Wikipedia ... Internet Bots ... a fuller explanation together with their history and other uses , including ones used by " Dark Forces " ... again , see Wikipedia for further details.

I hope the above helps ?

[susieq]

Forgive my ignorance but what are ' bots'
Also I notice my name at the bottom of the forum. It's not a problem, but is it a choice?

Pet "bots" are a software application that browsers (Google/Internet Explorer/Firefox/Bing etc) use to collect information on the internet. So that when you type in a question like "What is a coronavirus?" your browser can find related information that it's previously collected.

Yes showing your name at the bottom of the forum is a choice. You can hide your online status by changing your Board Preferences via the User Control Panel.

[susieq]

Chris

Slightly odd as the thread started in the Members Corner section , which is only accessible if a member logs in but , freely accessible through clicking on the link provided by the search engime .... thus bypassing the log in requirement. I just logged out , and read the thread through the search engine link as a test.

Another one for the computer wizards to investigate ?

already being dealt with as it has been reported elsewhere

[Chris From The Gulag]

Thanks Susie.

Bot hunting ?

Not at my age !

[Pet66]

Sue
Although I had hide my online status chosen, my name still shows? Not really a problem, am curious.
Thanks to you and Chris for explaining.

[susieq]

Sue
Although I had hide my online status chosen, my name still shows? Not really a problem, am curious.
Thanks to you and Chris for explaining.

As far as I am aware if you elect to hide your online status then your name shouldn't appear at the bottom of the main Index page. I've highlighted this whole thread to Admin so, hopefully, they'll pick up on your comment re online status at the same time.