AttentionTrust Extension FAQ

• ATX Extension Help
• ATX Extension Specification
• Attention Toolkit
• Wiki

AttentionTrust Extension Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is the AttentionTrust Extension, anyway?

A: The AttentionTrust Extension is an "attention recorder" in the form of a Firefox extension that allows users to save a copy of their browsing history to their desktops as well as share it with any AttentionTrust Approved Services of their choice.

Q: What is an AttentionTrust Approved Service?

A: An AttentionTrust Approved Service has agreed to abide by AttentionTrust's four principles - property, economy, mobility, and transparency - and has been reviewed and approved by AttentionTrust. Approved Services allow their users to retain control over their personal information, clearly stating how this information is used and allowing them to withdraw the information if desired.

Q: How do I install the AttentionTrust Extension?

A: You can download it from the AttentionTrust Extension and Approved Services page. You can select an Approved Service with which to share your attention data, or you can simply download the Extension without selecting an Approved Service. (You can add or delete Approved Services at any time after downloading the Extension by opening Firefox and going to Tools > Attention Recorder Options > Approved Services.)

Q: Will you be releasing a version of the AttentionTrust Extension for Internet Explorer?

A: Yes, but a release date isn't scheduled. At present, the AttentionTrust Extension is available only for the Firefox browser, version 1.0 or above. If you don't have Firefox, we encourage you to download it.

Q: I've just installed the AttentionTrust Extension. What are the two new icons in my browser, between the Home icon and the address bar?

A: The left icon lets you know whenever you are visiting the site of an AttentionTrust Member by displaying the Attention Trust logo. (If you've installed the extension, it should be visible now!) Members have committed to follow the four principles of AttentionTrust.

The right icon turns the AttentionTrust Extension's recording function on and off. When the icon is a green diamond, the AttentionTrust Extension is recording; when the icon is a red square, the AttentionTrust Extension is stopped. Click the icon to start or stop recording.

Q: What does the AttentionTrust Extension save and share?

A: For each web page you visit, the AttentionTrust Extension will save the web page's URL, the web page's title, the HTTP response code, and whether that web page read or wrote any cookies. (The contents of cookies are not recorded.) The Extension will also record a date and time stamp.

You can see exactly what the AttentionTrust Extension is recording by saving a copy for local storage on your hard drive as a .xml file. Go to Tools > Attention Recorder Options > Approved Services, and check 'Local Storage' as an Attention Service. Any information the AttentionTrust Extension records will be saved to your hard drive. By default, this file is stored in your Firefox profile (see below). For a more technical discussion of the AttentionTrust Extension, please see the specs and resources page.

Q: Where is my local information stored?

A: By default, your local information is stored within your Firefox profile folder, in a file called attention_log.xml. The location of your Firefox profile folder will vary depending on your operating system. MozillaZine's Profile Folder article will help you identify the location of your Firefox profile.

Q: Can I store my local information somewhere else?

A: Go to Tools > Attention Recorder Options > Approved Services, and click the button labeled 'Browse...'. You can then specify your own location and filename.

Q: Can I delete my local information?

A: Go to Tools > Attention Recorder Options > Approved Services, and click the button labeled 'Delete'. Note that this does not delete any information that has been sent to your chosen services. (See the next question.)

Q: Whoops - I sent something I didn't want to send! What do I do?

A: This happens - we've done it ourselves. Rest assured that AttentionTrust will never approve a service that doesn't let you remove your information from their system - it's *yours*, after all. You should be able to contact the services you've sent it to and have the information removed.

Please note that you can also prevent recording at any domain by "blacklisting" it. Go to Tools > Attention Recorder Options > Domain Blacklist, and then add the desired domain to the list. No activity on that domain will be recorded. You can also simply right-click while visiting any web page and select 'Do not record visits to this site.'

Q: Does the AttentionTrust Extension set or read any cookies?

A: In order for the Attention Trust to know which Approved Service you wish to use initially, three cookies are set during the initial download of the AttentionTrust Extension. When the installation is complete and Firefox is restarted, the AttentionTrust Extension reads the cookies and configures itself to begin sending information to the initial Attention Service. At no other time does the AttentionTrust Extension set or read cookies, although it does note when cookies are set or read by others. Note that Approved Services may set and read their own cookies in order to uniquely identify your attention data.

Q: How do I permanently uninstall the AttentionTrust Extension?

A: Within Firefox, select the Tools menu, and then the Extensions menu. Select 'Attention Recorder' and then click 'Uninstall'. When you restart Firefox, the AttentionTrust Extension will have been removed. If you have saved your information to your hard drive using the 'Local Storage' option, you may wish to also delete your attention_log.xml file, located in your Firefox profiles folder.

Q: How can I get involved in developing attention services that could make use of attention data from the AttentionTrust Extension?

A: You can get started at the Attention Toolkit, a free, open-source PHP toolkit that will allow you to record data from the AttentionTrust Extenstion to a MySQL database. We also invite you to participate in the AttentionTrust wiki, where you can share your feedback and request additional features and services.

Q: Where can I get help, or stay up-to-date with the latest AttentionTrust news?

A: Subscribe to the Support mailing list or the News mailing list.