Your Very Own Personal Spyware

[DigitalX]

Have you ever wondered whether your e-mail is really being read? Now, for the chronically insecure among us, there's a company that hopes to answer that question.

DidTheyReadIt.com is a service that tracks whether e-mail actually makes it to its destination. Once you sign up for an account, you will receive detailed reports about all your outgoing messages each time they are opened. The cost is $24.99 for a three-month period. Sure, it's a little pricey, but, hey, sneakiness like this costs money.

 

The person you are e-mailing will know none of this. Once you've signed up, just add ".DidTheyReadIt.com" to the end of the recipient's e-mail address. The message will then be routed through their servers, assigned tracking information, and will arrive at the recipient's inbox looking just like any other message. The only way he or she will suspect anything at all is if you're just the type of lowlife who would use this sort of thing.

 

But wait, that's not all. Not only will you find out whether your e-mail is read, you'll also learn exactly how long it was read and whether it was opened more than once. If the e-mail is forwarded to others, you'll receive a report every single time someone else reads it. You'll even find out where the message was read. Obviously, the location information isn't perfect; it's based on the Internet provider the recipient is using. Still, if you lie and say that you're out of town, this service could give you away.

 

How does it work? The company simply embeds invisible image files into e-mails. When the recipient opens the e-mail, that image file, located on the servers at DidTheyReadIt.com, is also opened. In essence, the company is tracking whether that image has been opened, rather than the e-mail itself. If this sounds familiar, that's because it's the same way spammers learn whether their junk mail has been read. In some ways, this company is simply letting the masses have the same tools that spammers have been using for years.

 

Luckily, in most e-mail applications, it's easy to turn off images and thwart this service, not to mention those spamming you. With recent security updates to Windows XP, Outlook Express is even set to block pictures in e-mail automatically.

 

In some ways, none of this is exactly new. With Eudora, Outlook Express, and other e-mail applications, it has long been possible to place a return receipt on your e-mails, no matter how annoying this may be to those who receive them. However, with return receipts, the recipient knows that the message is being tracked and can always refuse to send back the receipt.

 

DidTheyReadIt.com has gotten the most attention, but it isn't even the first to do this. Other similar services, including MsgTag.com, ReturnReceipt.com, and ReadNotify.com, have been around longer. Some even let you send "self-destructing e-mail," which sounds especially fun. Frankly, I've always wanted to be able to write, "This message will self-destruct in thirty seconds." Send one of these, and the recipient won't be able to print, forward, save, or copy the e-mail. Unfortunately, unlike on "Mission Impossible," the recipient's computer doesn't blow up once the message is read, but I'm sure that type of malware is just around the corner.

 

In any event, if not downright unethical, all this is at least a little creepy. One wonders what sketchy services other companies have in the works.

 

DoTheyThinkI'mAnIdiot.com

This service will let you know whenever a message of yours is forwarded to anyone with sarcastic comments. Also, find out exactly how many seconds it takes for your message to be deleted. Win a free DoTheyThinkI'mAnIdiot.com trash can, if your message is trashed in less than five seconds.

 

AmIInTheirAddressBook.com

Find out exactly how important you really are. With this service, you'll know whenever you are added to anyone's address book; you'll also receive an e-mail the moment you are deleted. Sure, this may hurt, but don't you want to know the truth?

 

AreTheyUsingDidTheyReadIt.com

Actually, a company called Wizard Industries has released software that will block DidTheyReadIt.com and similar services. It costs $8.95.

 

IsMyFriendASlowReader.com

If you've always thought your friend was kind of slow, now you can tell for sure with this new service. Find out exactly how long it takes your friend to read your messages. Each message will be secretly tagged so that your friend will never know, though let's face it. He's no rocket scientist. Even if we didn't keep it secret, he probably wasn't going to figure it out anyway.

 

DrunkEmailStopper.com

Have you ever written a regrettable e-mail to an ex-girlfriend or ex-boyfriend while drunk? Well, with DrunkEmailStopper.com, you no longer have to worry about embarrassing yourself. Simply choose up to 10 e-mail addresses, and any e-mail that you send to those addresses will automatically be delayed for 12 hours so that you can review your message when you finally sober up. Note: Special 24-hour delay option available for power drinkers.

 

GirlfriendDumper.com

Now, not only can you use a tracking service to find out exactly when your girlfriend reads the e-mail in which you dump her. With this service, our artificial intelligence software will even write the e-mail for you. Have peace of mind when you must dump someone.

 

Soon, our artificial intelligence software will also be able to go out on dates for you, so that you'll never have to leave your apartment. Isn't technology grand?