Privacy Policy for SheepOverboard.com
Apology
At SheepOverboard privacy principles are dictated by the simple goal of carrying no advertising and only linking to known safe websites.
This goal is compromised by our decision [May 2011] to display a SINGLE Google Adsense link unit in the footer of each page. The aim here is obviously not to make money but encourage the GoogleBot to pay more attention. Since the focus at SheepOverboard is content, not maintenance of overly-complicated website code, this site runs the simplest of technical operations.
NO other income is generated. It’s all outgoing.
Policy
SheepOverboard’s privacy policy describes how we treat personal information revealed by your computer when you view our pages.
SheepOverboard.com, does not collect email addresses, Internet addresses, or any visitor information with the following exceptions:
1. SheepOverboard’s web host, Scala Hosting, uses industry-standard web server software that collects IP (Internet Protocol) addresses in the site logs. These eventually turnover on a last-in last-out basis and can be downloaded by either the host or us for long-term storage. They contain no identifiable information other than your Internet address in the form of an IP number and the link that directed you to SheepOverboard.com. We can make no guarantees for the activities of either our host or the data centre/s they use.
2. The WordPress engine that powers this website might contain code that tracks visitors across pages. However, WordPress is an open-source and free software subject to scrutiny by large numbers of security-minded individuals. It’s probably safe.
3. The WordPress theme, supplied free by Milo317, is freely viewable by the same community and, like the WordPress engine, is probably clean and safe. Milo is a well-known and respected web designer.
4. Google. SheepOverboard runs Google adsense units at the foot of each article page. We decided to try these – against our better judgment and policies – to enhance SheepOverboard’s presence in search results. In other words, to give the GoogleBot some incentive to look longer and harder at our content, and to rate it in favor of advertisers. If you read anything at all on SheepOverboard, you’ll see we’ve noticed that money makes the world go round.
Google insist on this privacy policy if we are to server Google Adsense.
Opt-out of receiving advertisements
Third-party vendors – Google, or via Google – and ad networks are serving ads on SheepOverboard.com.
- In general on the web, third party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on a user’s prior visits to any website displaying such ads.
- Google’s use of the DART cookie enables it and its partners to serve ads to SheepOverboard.com users based on their visit to your sites and/or other sites on the Internet.
- Users may opt out of the use of the DART cookie by visiting the advertising opt-out page.
For your information, opt-out tools exist on the web to disable ad serving to you from networks who have agreed to participate. You can opt out of some, but not all, of these cookies in one location at the Network Advertising Initiative opt-out website at www.networkadvertising.org/managing/opt_out.asp. **see below
Because publisher sites and laws across countries vary, we’re unable to be any more specific.
5. NO OTHER known code that passively or actively intrudes your computer, via the browser or any port-opening methods, operates on this web site. It is always possible, even likely, that this web site may be compromised and malicious code inserted that will attempt to hijack your web browser, at the very least, or infect your computer with a Trojan at worst.
i. You should run the latest version of your favorite web browser and update all vital software on your PC – especially Adobe Flash, Shockwave, and Reader.
ii. Microsoft, Apple, or Linux-based operating system software should regularly be updated and to the greatest extent possible always have the latest software ‘patches’ applied.
iii. Your computer must always use Anti-virus software from a reputable vendor. This software must always be up to date, preferably on an hourly basis. We highly recommend Abatis’ Hard Disk Firewall as an ultimate shield against all known attempts to covertly write executable code to your PC hard disk – which is ultimately how all known attack vectors work at this time.
6. This Privacy Policy applies to SheepOverboard.com website code and operations only. We do not exercise control over the sites linked to in article content, or by Google Adsense [see apology above]. These other sites may place their own cookies or other files on your computer, collect data or solicit personal information from you – but only, of course, when you visit their site and after clicking away from SheepOverboard.com.
** Infected page at www.networkadvertising.org
[Their home page was clean during this test]
As if to bring home the threat advisory in section 5 above, in composing section 4 by lifting pertinent privacy suggestions from Google Adsense Support page, upon testing the links FROM the Google page this computer was attacked by an apparently compromised page at the link destination, on which I assume malicious code had been inserted – we all hope and assume without the approval or knowledge of either NetworkAdvertising.org or Google. You never know on the web.
You cannot be too careful out there.
For more information on the threat posed by MalGen-A [ which you will see attacks Windows, Apple, Linux] visit this Sophos Webpage.
Click thumbnail below to view screen capture of link being tested – the one struck out in text above – and the result:
