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From the Stack Exchange Cookie Policy:

"If you use the Stack Overflow Network, both Stack Overflow and third parties will use cookies to track and monitor some of your activities on and off the Stack Overflow Network, and store and access some data about you, your browsing history, and your usage of the Stack Overflow Network."

What information is collected by SE about users when they are not on the Stack Exchange Site?

What information is collected by third parties about users when they are not on the Stack Exchange Site?

How is this information used, and how is it protected?

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  • What information is collected by third parties about users when they are not on the Stack Exchange Site? While a valid concern you can't expect SE to answer that. They are not responsible for nor can reasonably know what third-parties really do with the collected data.
    – rene Mod
    Commented May 31, 2018 at 10:19
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    @rene If it's info collected via use of cookies placed while users are on SE, I don't see how that's unreasonable. It is information that SE sanctions them to collect. If they're doing that, I suppose they must have some idea what the thrid parties are going to use that info for, no?
    – Araucaria - Not here any more.
    Commented May 31, 2018 at 10:24
  • I think we need to distinguish between SE own cookies and the cookies that appear due to the Google ads they run. I don't expect SE is going to explain what Google is going to track with those cookies served on an SE site. What might be interesting is if SE has features similar like facebook pixels which would enable SE themselves to track its users on those sites that embedded such images, maybe what is done with Flair
    – rene Mod
    Commented May 31, 2018 at 10:36
  • @rene Good point. I wonder if it's possible to opt out of being googlified?
    – Araucaria - Not here any more.
    Commented May 31, 2018 at 11:05
  • You can run an ad-blocker and disable third-party cookies. But SE relies on the ad revenue so don't expect them to offer options to opt-out. At least not within 6 to 8 weeks.
    – rene Mod
    Commented May 31, 2018 at 11:18
  • @rene Is is possible to disable the cookies without the ad-blocker?
    – Araucaria - Not here any more.
    Commented May 31, 2018 at 11:28
  • Not without a plugin it seems: superuser.com/questions/706690/…
    – rene Mod
    Commented May 31, 2018 at 11:36
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    I guess it has something to do with the "share" link which contains an optional user ID for badge tracking, or the referrer link on the HTTP header when SE users click SE links from external sites for site analytics?
    – Meta Andrew T.
    Commented Jun 1, 2018 at 17:12

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