Protecting Your Privacy


As described earlier, Windows Media Player 9 Series provides a variety of customization options. Some of these options, including Media Guide, Radio Tuner, and license acquisition and retrieval, require that information about your computer be sent across the Internet. While no personal information is ever collected, you might want to understand what information is transmitted and why. Knowing this will enable you to make informed decisions about what customizations to allow.

Privacy Settings

One of the primary functions of Windows Media Player is to play back content that is delivered over a network. To provide this service, it is necessary for Windows Media Player to communicate with a Windows Media server.

During playback of the streamed media, Windows Media Player will send
the streaming media server a log. The log includes such details as: connection time, operating system version, Player version, Player identification number (or Player ID), date, protocol, and so on. The purpose of the Player ID is to allow content providers to identify your connection. If a unique Player ID is sent, content providers will be able to correlate the information in the logs over several sessions.

In order to protect your privacy, Windows Media Player sends an anonymous Player ID by default. But some content providers will require you to send them a unique Player ID in order to access their content or services. You can send a unique Player ID by clicking Tools, clicking Options, clicking the Privacy tab, and then selecting the Send Unique Player ID to Content Providers check box.

Other options on the Privacy tab enable you to specify whether information about your CDs, DVDs, and music files can be retrieved from the Internet, whether automatic license acquisition is allowed for protected content, and whether you want to participate in the Customer Experience Improvement Program. All of these options require an exhange of information—usually by installing cookies or logging an IP address—over the Internet.

Media Library

By default, Windows Media Player does not allow Web pages to access your digital media files or Media Library. But Web pages may attempt access in order to offer you similar content, advertise sales, or recommend music or video services, such as subscriptions.

Before the Player shares information from your files and Media Library, it displays a message notifying you that the Web page is seeking read or full access to your files and Media Library. If you grant the Web page read access, it can scan the contents of your files and Media Library. Full access allows the item to scan and change media information in your files and Media Library. This can include adding, removing, and changing media information, such as a track name, in Media Library and your digital media files.

If you grant a Web page read or full access to Media Library when prompted, you only grant access for that single instance. In other words, when you open the Web page again, you will be prompted to grant access again.

WindowsMedia.com

WindowsMedia.com is a Web site operated by Microsoft and is used by Windows Media Player. The Media Guide and the Radio Tuner features are Web pages provided by WindowsMedia.com. All the CD audio data, DVD data, radio presets, and the information in the Info Center View pane come directly from WindowsMedia.com. Other services provided by WindowsMedia.com include Player updates and download support for codecs, skins, and visualizations.

Like most Web sites, WindowsMedia.com maintains a log of all requests that are sent to it along with the sender’s IP address. The log will include your WindowsMedia.com cookie if cookies are enabled for the site.

A cookie is sent to WindowsMedia.com whenever Windows Media Player communicates with the WindowsMedia.com service (for example, when you click Media Guide or Radio Tuner, or when the Player requests supplemental CD or DVD information). The cookie allows WindowsMedia.com to personalize your WindowsMedia.com experience (for example, your radio presets are stored in this cookie). The cookie also contains a unique identifier, which allows WindowsMedia.com to generate anonymous visitor statistics. This identifier is not the same as the Player ID described earlier and does not contain any personally identifiable information.

Streaming media servers you connect with may also establish cookies on your computer. What data is stored in these cookies and how that data is used is determined by the content provider.

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Understanding Cookies

A cookie is a small text file that is placed on your hard disk by a Web server. Cookies are uniquely assigned to you, and can only be read by a Web server in the domain that issued the cookie to you. Cookies cannot be used to run programs or deliver viruses to your computer.

A cookie is often used to personalize your visit to a Web site. For example, to facilitate a purchase the cookie could contain information such as your current selection, as well as personally identifiable information such as your name or e-mail address. To help Web sites track individual visitors, cookies often contain a unique identifier. It is up to the Web site that created the cookie to disclose to you what information is stored in the cookie and how that information is used.

It is possible to block the creation and transfer of cookies using Internet Explorer. If you decide to block one or more cookies, the Web sites that use them may not function correctly. For example, if the WindowsMedia.com cookie is blocked, you may lose some features like the ability to set Radio Tuner presets.

To prevent all cookies from being stored on your computer, open Internet Explorer, click the Tools menu, click Internet Options, and then click the Privacy tab. Move the slider up to Block All Cookies. With this setting, Web sites will not be able to store cookies on your computer.

Blocking all cookies is an extreme action to take. The next two Internet Explorer privacy levels, High and Medium High, may be more suitable. In addition, it is possible to block a cookie for a specific site using the Edit menu. See Internet Explorer online Help for more information.

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Microsoft Windows Media Resource Kit
Microsoft Windows Media Resource Kit (Pro-Resource Kit)
ISBN: 0735618070
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2005
Pages: 258

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