Zugg Software :: View Entry

Posted: Mon Jan 11, 2010 10:33 pm

Didn't Google always say that they would never be evil? Weren't they supposed to be the moral "good guys" compared to Microsoft? Well, apparently the old saying about "absolute power corrupts absolutely" is absolutely true. Google has gathered their power, and now they are being just as "evil" as anybody else.

Why do I say this? On my new computer I went to the Google Earth site and told it to download. It installed BOTH Google Earth AND CHROME!

Now, Chrome is a fine browser, and anything is better than Internet Explorer. But I am happily using Firefox, thank you very much. How is installing your own Chrome web browser along with your application software any different from complaining that Microsoft installs Internet Explorer with Windows? Or that Apple tries to install Safari with iTunes?

This needs to stop. Stop pushing your browser on us when we install other software. If I want Chrome, I'll download it myself. If I want Safari, I'll download it myself.

Now I need to go see what else was installed. I wouldn't be a bit surprised to see a Google Updater service added, and I'll have to see if Google Desktop is sneaking in here as well.

Google, you are starting to become evil...stop it before it's too late!

Wizard Joined: 10 Oct 2000 Posts: 1551 Location: Australia

I recently downloaded google earth but managed to avoid the extra bloat (chrome/toolbar) they wanted to force on me. I had to read carefully, and I copped their google updater service regardless.

What scares me more is their analytics! Of course you can NoScript/AdBlock that, but I'd hazard 99% of users don't know google is keeping an eye on their browsing habits.

And I'm a little concerned about their maps too... they're amazingly convenient, but if you use them for navigation on your mobile they can track where you're at. Just feels a little stalky.

Wanderer Joined: 02 Sep 2005 Posts: 85

I agree here :\ nothing else to add.

Posted: Tue Feb 09, 2010 10:55 pm

Something I've noticed lately that bothers me is that Google now tracks even which links you follow from their search results. (Maybe this is part of Analytics, I dunno)

For example, if I search for C++ and click on the link for:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/visualc/default.aspx

The link I *actually* follow is a kind of redirect link that looks like:

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&ct=res&cd=5&ved=0CCYQFjAE&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsdn.microsoft.com%2Fen-us%2Fvisualc%2Fdefault.aspx&rct=j&q=c%2B%2B&ei=GORxS4_aMcaHnQe9yvyfCw&usg=AFQjCNEAUEXtG1LKK0R7YOqv-ZuUPInC_Q

Of course, if I hover over the link before clicking it only shows the 'normal' link in the status bar at the bottom of firefox. I'm pretty sure they're using javascript to fake the normal URL in the status bar. Not sure, but it also seems like if you disable javascript they don't embed the google tracking URL.

So basically, they not only know your general searches, but the specific pages you visit out of those searches (combined with gmail and Analytics...)

Wizard Joined: 10 Oct 2000 Posts: 1551 Location: Australia

Yeah, I noticed that was happening to me just recently and it made me angry... because
a) it's an invasion of privacy
b) it's a pain in the neck if you want to copy the search result and paste it somewhere
c) it adds an extra second or so to any link that I click
d) it's just... rude!

So I did a bit of research, and found:

GreaseMonkey - https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/748
plus
Google Tracking-B-Gone - http://userscripts.org/scripts/show/47300

Which seems to have taken care of it for the time being.

The internet's sure turning into a nasty place... script kiddies, corporate spying, government censorship... blergh. Maybe it's time to throw out the computer and buy a vinyard or something...

Apprentice Joined: 14 Apr 2008 Posts: 105

Wizard Joined: 14 Oct 2000 Posts: 1368

How do you know that those scripts can be trusted? Who knows what private data it might send out to its creator Confused

.

Posted: Thu May 06, 2010 6:27 pm

The "Google Tracking-B-Gone - http://userscripts.org/scripts/show/47300 " script is in plain text and you can read and trace through it for yourself and hence know that it can be trusted.

Apprentice Joined: 14 Apr 2008 Posts: 105

google changed their search results today to look crap like microsoft's BS-search, it looks like the kind of searches random spam sites link you to, it's so messy now...

Newbie Joined: 10 Feb 2017 Posts: 1 Location: UK

Yay, the domination of Google is bigger and bigger. They rule, no doubts. Look, if you are going to search for a Italian restaurant in your city, basicly Google decides where are you going to eat. The first page of Google rules...

Newbie Joined: 26 Apr 2017 Posts: 2 Location: UK

Yeah, Google rules the world basicly... The user e-johnny is totally right. Who is on the first free page of Google, rules.