46 replies to this topic

[Cassy]

So, I decided to check in, and I noticed recently that a lot of people have been frozen. And while it is only a theory due to an experience at Subeta, I think this is what Neopets might be freezing for.

I once ran a Subeta Answers cheating site, this of course made a giant unintentional stink on Subeta with the admins and since they couldn't really tell the different between members answering the trivia legitimately or due to my wordpress, they scanned people's cookies/history in order to check if my wordpress (and other sites) were present.

The people who had visited my site, got a verbal warning, and I myself, for possessing an admin wordpress cookie to the site got perma-banned.

Now, I need to inform you that it is possible, though Subeta was pretty lax in their technique, Neopets may be using this technique to freeze people. But of course this is only my hypothesis on why people who have been using their accounts legitamately while viewing cheating sites may be getting banned. It is possible Neopets has adopted the idea on their own, but my knowledge of this is limited.

So, when this happened on my old blog, I advised all people to only view my blog on firefox "Private Browsing Tool" by using Ctrl+Shift+P, and once they're finished, go to Subeta after that.

So for those who are having trouble, perhaps you can try that out and see what happens, anyone who tries this can report back.

By the way, nice to see you guys again. Nice to know you're still up unlike the other site. xD

[frostz]

I don't think neopets would be allowed to scan your computer for your history and cookies, considering that if a company like blizzard cannot scan your processes for 3rd party programs since it violates some kinda law or something like that.

Besides how would they scan your computer anyway, unless they are secretly uploading some kinda phishing program (virus?)onto your computer.. when you visit their site

[weaboo]

Besides how would they scan your computer anyway, unless they are secretly uploading some kinda phishing program (virus?)onto your computer.. when you visit their site

Exactly. lol, I still like your idea OP. Hmmm....

[Cassy]

If subeta did it, neopets can do it as well. In fact, keith posted this site (or was it a member there) to show that your browser is actually allowing the information itself to be submitted to any site you visit.

Take a look at this:


subeta.net/forums/view/644682/#

(Can't find the other threads atm. x_x)

If you don't believe that it is technically possible, check this site out:

http://whattheintern...boutyou.com/all (might not work on recently updated browsers)

Edited by Cassy, 25 May 2011 - 07:44 AM.

[JayScorpio]

I think very lowly of TNT, they are capable of doing this. I'm going to start using two different browsers for Codex & neopets & use the private browising

[Ladida]

I think all sites log which site you were on directly before going to their site, as well as which site you go to when you leave. So when you click a link on Codex which takes you directly to Neopets, and they're monitoring this, it'd be pretty simple to run a query to find all URLs with neocodex in it. I noticed we have this system where the URL gets converted into something else, so I'm not sure if that helps. I've been taking it easy with this, I used to use two different browsers and private browsing.. Guess I'll start again =\ Which doesn't make much sense if they've logged my past activity, in which case I'll be caught anyway.

Is it legal to scan a person's cookies? I really don't think it is.

Edited by Ladida, 25 May 2011 - 09:55 AM.

[Kuraz]

sorry that I may sound stupid, but how does private browsing work?

[Lychee]

sorry that I may sound stupid, but how does private browsing work?

Basically, the browser doesn't record your activities in that session, so you don't keep any cookies obtained through the sites you look at during that time. It's accessible through "tools" and "start private browsing" in FF and
clicking on the spanner and selecting "new incognito window" in Chrome.

It could well just be coincidence, but I use FF for Neopets, since I like NoScript on that site, and Chrome for general browsing including Neocodex 'cause it's nicer, and I'm unfrozen.

[Sage]

This is why I don't go straight from codex to neopets. Usually I go through dailyneopets to get to any of the useful links.

[iargue]

This is why I don't go straight from codex to neopets. Usually I go through dailyneopets to get to any of the useful links.

Cookies are outside of that limit though.

Cookies are stored cross site and exist until either you log out, or you close your browser (If they are designed, some stay after you close)

[Cassy]

It's not illegal, but it's unethical imo

I was also going to mention the URL redirection modification, it's an IPB mod if admins are interested. Neopets have monitored and tracked many cheater accounts using this method hence why many cheating forums don't recommend you post neopet URLs directly.

Edited by Cassy, 25 May 2011 - 10:20 AM.

[Waser Lave]

@OP, a website can only view the cookies set by that website, it can't view any cookies set by other domains. We already have a link protector enabled on the forum so that will remove the referrer being listed as Neocodex.

[jaredennisclark]

This is something everyone should have been doing anyway.

[Kyle]

Keith used to be active in the neo community. Would be cool if he could personally provide some insight into possible methods of detection neopets may be using.

Edited by Kyle, 25 May 2011 - 10:36 AM.

[Darkthrone]

Wouldn't they need to have a disclaimer somewhere if they were doing this? I don't think I've ever been presented with a T&C when signing up to Neo?

[Waser Lave]

Wouldn't they need to have a disclaimer somewhere if they were doing this? I don't think I've ever been presented with a T&C when signing up to Neo?

You agreed to their Terms and Conditions when you registered an account there, they usually have a check box to indicate your acceptance.

[explicit]

And the link at the bottom of every page...

Use of this site signifies your acceptance of the Terms of Use.

[Ladida]

Wouldn't they need to have a disclaimer somewhere if they were doing this? I don't think I've ever been presented with a T&C when signing up to Neo?

You have, it's just that there's just an inconspicuous link to it, they don't have the actual thing on the same page. There's a checkbox next to the link, so it's pretty easy to forget about it completely.

Edit: Wth, well I'm late

[Scot]

Guys, don't you think you are taking this TNT mass conspiracy just a little too far?

[grapes]

You mean TNT is CGing?

[Kat]

I highly doubt they are doing this... lol. What about the people that have been here for years and played Neo and have yet to be frozen? Hmm?
I've said this before but I'll say it again.
They not only freeze people they suspect of cheating but they also RANDOMLY freeze people just to keep us on our toes. And because they CAN with no repercussions.
They don't care how much time and money you spent on your account, it's probably pretty fun for them to freeze your account and think of you spazzing out about it.
I think we can quit trying to figure out how and why they freeze people--it's a losing battle.

No offense meant to OP, however. It was an interesting and different idea from the usual dribble here.

Edit: Also, they probably won't just freeze you for visiting NeoCodex, as this is also a Neopets chat forum, and not everyone here cheats.
But they would probably be very wary of someone who does and watch them closer than others.

Edited by Katrinas, 25 May 2011 - 10:57 AM.

[Cassy]

Alrighty that's good, and they definately can, they even tracked me with it.

In the source code of one of the subeta questions, they had a code with the link to my site. This was used to check either history or cookies to my wordpress. They were even able to track my account and ban it, how would they know that.

Not to mention Keith mentioned it himself;

it tracks specific sites that are related to Subeta. We don't care if you go on GG, just as long as you're not reading the thread on trivia answers . I'm going to lock this, not because I'm trying to silence the OUTRAGE (on.. being caught going to a cheating website?) but because we didn't send out any official (or verbal) warnings and it was just a little reminder that cheating is wrong.

That was part of the method we were using to track it. It's since then been removed from the source.

We aren't freezing from this right now. We're just letting you know that we do have the methods to track if you've been to a website that has cheats/answers to Subeta games, and we will be employing those techniques in the future.

Personal Information and Security

Due to this ruling on Youtube! we are adopting a new standard of deleting logs after a month. Hopefully other sites also adopt this method.
What this means is, that we will be deleting our log files monthly, that keep track of your pages visited, and your IP addresses. While this information helps us track down multiple accounts and cheaters, at some point in the future that information could be requested by some bully corporation, and if this ruling is any indication, we'd be required to give up your personal information and your browsing habits to that corporation.
To keep it simple, it means that we're protecting your privacy, and making it harder for large corporations to request information about where you've been looking on the internet.
If you share a computer with someone else, you're fine! Don't worry about it

http://startpanic.com/ might work for some people.

Edit: As I said, it's just a theory and all I want to say is that if people try private browsing and see what happens it could be true.

Edited by Cassy, 25 May 2011 - 10:59 AM.

[Waser Lave]

Alrighty that's good, and they definately can, they even tracked me with it.

In the source code of one of the subeta questions, they had a code with the link to my site. This was used to check either history or cookies to my wordpress. They were even able to track my account and ban it, how would they know that.

Not to mention Keith mentioned it himself;

http://startpanic.com/ might work for some people.

Edit: As I said, it's just a theory and all I want to say is that if people try private browsing and see what happens it could be true.

I'm not really bothered what Keith or anybody else says, cookies are only served to the domains on which they were set. It's a fundamental principle underpinning the internet and all browsers.

[iargue]

http://startpanic.com/ might work for some people.

That did nothing at all for me.

[Cassy]

Oh no, they don't directly take the cookie via their site. They have a code that grabs the cookie instead. (Either that or it was the history links they looked at)

I thought it was just stopped working for me due to installed adblock, perhaps firefox patched their site from doing it, thanks for letting me know.

Edited by Cassy, 25 May 2011 - 11:39 AM.