Last modified: 2010-01-20 22:02:31 UTC
Quoted from: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User_talk:Jimbo_Wales&oldid=332119074#Wikimedia_and_privacy_during_server_failures During server outages, a page is returned that states "This wiki has a problem". It states that the server is down, the database cannot be accessed, or whatever other problem the site is experiencing. In addition, it provides a Google search box. This is not a problem. However, the Google logo is served from Google's servers, which is a problem. (Specifically, the file "http://www.google.com/logos/Logo_40wht.gif".) This allows Google to record an entry into its logs every time I access Wikipedia during a server outage (IP address, page accessed, date and time, etc.). The Wikimedia privacy policy regarding IP addresses states "When a visitor requests or reads a page [...] The Wikimedia Foundation may keep raw logs of such transactions, but these will not be published..." There is no mention that external parties will also record this information, or how they will treat that information, though I think it's unacceptable to provide Google or any other party this information (especially for logged in users for whom the privacy policy explicitly states that IP address info will not be shared or disclosed).
Removed on r61311.
