Discussion: Clearing Browser Data and Third Party Verification

Attribution: Screenshot from Author's Own Computer

So you’re on Swagbucks or some other GPT site and the Watch or Ncraves section doesn’t seem to work anymore.  You used to have a bunch of videos to watch, but now you don’t. Or maybe your offer wall seems a bit sparse lately. You decide to clear your browser’s history, cache and cookies, hoping you’ll get your GPT tasks back, but it either doesn’t work, or if it works, the fix is only temporary. What’s going on?

The Soft Ban

You’ve probably been soft banned. This is a temporary ban on a certain GPT task because you have either violated a term of service (not too likely, as this would likely lead to a hard ban) or you have been flagged by a third party verification service for improperly using (or abusing) the GPT activity.

What’s a Third Party Verification Service?

Third party verification services are companies that are completely separate from GPT sites (at least that’s what they say) and they make sure the users (people like us) are properly using GPT sites. These verification services confirm that you’re actually watching videos, giving consistent and honest answers when taking surveys, not completing the same offer wall talk over and over…you get the idea.

How Do Third Party Verification Services Work?

I don’t know exactly, and no one outside these companies do. But basically, it’s going to be a combination of tracking your IP address, MAC address, cookies, browsing habits, the content of the data that flows through your IP and probably some other things I can’t think of right now. It’s these last two methods that explain why clearing your browser’s data won’t work.

Basically, even though your browser is “new” to the third party verification service, they can quickly figure out that you’re the same person/user. They do this because they have your online “finger print.”

What Does My Online Finger Print Consist of?

I can’t say for certain, but it will include things like:

- Your browsing history (even if you deleted it from your browser).

- What ads you or someone else using your IP has seen.

- Your GPT habits. By this I’m referring to detailed notes on how you use the Internet. For example, if you wake up each morning and begin your GPT day by answering the Swagbucks Daily Poll, completing your Microsoft Rewards Bing searches, then restarting your three farming phones running Applike, the third party verification services will know this. And the next time some “random” GPT user does complete these exact tasks at roughly the same time each morning and in the same order, they’ll know it’s you and not someone else.

I know they do more to keep track of each individual user, but that gives you an idea of how they know it’s “you” and not some other GPT user.

Get to the Point: Why Doesn’t Clearing Browser Data Work?

Because third party verification services can still figure out who you are without looking at the history, cookies and cache of your web browser. They use the above and other methods and techniques to identify each GPT user.

When Third Party Verification Services Screw Up

These companies don’t always get it right. Depending on how good their verification services are, they can sometimes improperly flag innocent GPT behavior. For instance, one way these verification services work is by keeping track how many ads you watch. So when you view those videos on instaGC, you will be shown a bunch of commercials. These verification services keep track of what commercials you see.

This is fine and dandy until you watch those same commercials on some other online GPT site. Then you could potentially be flagged for abusing the system by watching “too many” videos even when you’re not. This screw up can occur when you’re simply watching a lot of Youtube videos which have a lot of ads. In other instances, the third party verification services might lump together your online activities with other people on your IP, such as a family member.

For example, you might be a 26 year old male who works in marketing, makes $60,000 per year and enjoys surfing. But if your roommate is a 25 year old female who works in the healthcare industry, makes $80,000 per year and enjoys camping, you could both be flagged when engaging in GPT activities because your online activities don’t match who you claim you are or what you claim to enjoy doing.

A particular third party verification service might conclude this conflicting information coming from the same IP means someone is lying on GPT sites even though it’s really a case of two separate people sharing the same IP address. This is probably the biggest reason why it’s hard for college kids in dorms to complete many GPT tasks. All that traffic from hundreds of college students is lumped together in just a few IP addresses. The third party verification service either flags this as inappropriate or more likely, realizes what’s going on and because they can’t verify if you’re using the GPT site properly, simply flags anyone from the dorm who tries to do GPT tasks.

Another instance of a screw up occurs when you complete offers on two different GPT sites. A few years ago I remember reading about people getting banned from certain ad walls when they tried to complete different offers on two different GPT sites, like Swagbucks and EarnHoney. Basically, the user was trying to complete the same offer from the same ad wall, just on different GPT sites. The third party verification service (or the GPT company itself) flagged that user thinking he or she was abusing the offer wall, even though they weren’t trying to.

What Happens When Third Party Verification Services Screw Up

What you can do will depend on your particular situation. In some cases, the GPT provider can do nothing because they have no control over what the third party verification service company flags or doesn’t flag (they’re called THIRD party verification services for a reason). But other times they might be able to unban you if you can provide proof you didn’t engage in fraudulent activity. Some sites (I think Perk does this, or at least used to) might ask for a scan of your government issued ID, for example, to confirm you are who you say you are.

Bottom Line

As the saying goes, “never bullshit a bullshitter” and advertisers are professional bullshitters. They know what they’re doing (for the most part) and if you think you can outsmart them, you’re probably wrong. And if you’re not wrong, it’s only a matter of time before they figure out how to stop you.

For instances when you’re doing nothing wrong and get screwed anyways, GPT sites aren’t trying to screw you over. But they’re willing to do so to protect themselves against those who are trying to screw them over and to keep their clients happy.