Surprising Consequences of Simple Privacy Protection Method

The development of the Internet is sustainable because of existing business models. Among them one of the most common is currently pay-per-click which is based on recording users´ behaviors (in particular clicks but it may also be actions) and charging advertisers according to this information. On the other hand registering users clicks causes a serious threat for privacy. Additionally part of this business process is conducted outside an environment that can be controlled by organization and, thus, increases uncertainty of the whole solution. In this paper we propose a simple privacy protection method which prevent advertising companies form recording users´ click and, thus, as a side effect break the corresponding business process. This method can be use on a voluntarily basis but also as the XSS-based attack against particular companies (e.g. these considered by activists as bad behaving). We show a method to estimate potential losses for global advertising company as the cause of this attack. Although it is very difcult to counteract this type of attack we have proposed some actions which can be taken to monitor and, to some extend, limit possible losses. We also consider a use of external intermediary who may help convince user that they clicks are not traced.