[p2p] Adobe Acrobat
Spying on Users
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The well known PDF reader Adobe Reader reports back
to a central server whenever you open specially marked PDF documents.
The newly released Adobe Reader 7 again allows authors of PDF documents to embed an arbitrary web address which is then informed whenever you open the document. This use of "web-bugs" is the same functionality used by spammers to track and verify use of your email address and is done without informing the user and without consent.
"Remote Approach" is "proud" to "easily tag PDF documents so that when distributed, the PDF automatically" reports back to a central server. "This allows our clients to see" when "their documents are being read" – and by whom (IP address) – "and if they are being forwarded and distributed through channels like email and peer to peer", giving them a tool for the prosecution of copyright infringement.
JavaScript is activated by default in Acrobat Reader,
which allows the spy code to activate. Disabling it results in unnerving requests by many documents to reactivate it. It is for example required to allow filling of certain forms.
To date, none of the free PDF viewers (xpdf, kpdf, evince etc.) allow this surreptitious functionality to report back. A way to disable it in Acrobat Reader is to delete all plugins or to rename the plugin directory acroread7/Reader/intellinux/plug_ins, with the side effect of speeding up the start of the application. 1)
Of course you will have to remember to repeat this every time there is an update.
Again, you can't trust software that is not open source.
