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CCat
We're all quite mad here
MVM
join:2005-12-06
Wonderland

CCat to Lanik

MVM

to Lanik

Re: NoScript/Google Analytics

Thanks

rick752
Premium Member
join:2006-01-27
New York

3 edits

1 recommendation

rick752

Premium Member

Google Analytics is Google's way of tracking most everything you do all across the web. It is also used for targeting their advertising to you based on that collected info.

If you don't mind google gathering info on a lot of things you are doing on the internet, then there really is no problem. I personally don't think it's anyone's business what I do but mine.

Lanik
Lab-nik

join:2001-06-25
San Francisco, CA

1 edit

Lanik

Looks like web stats of some sort to me:

said by »www.google.com/analytics ··· rovision :
Use Google Analytics to learn which online marketing initiatives are cost effective and see how visitors actually interact with your site. Make informed site design improvements, drive targeted traffic, and increase your conversions and profits.

rick752
Premium Member
join:2006-01-27
New York

1 edit

rick752

Premium Member

Google uses this free tool on many, MANY sites all over the world (in conjunction with Adsense too) to built THEIR OWN giant database that tracks users from site to site via a unique identifier. To me this is outright privacy invasion.

Think about this:
There will be (or are already I think) instances where these records can be used against you. What if a credit card company uses this info for a check on you .. only to find that you have been visiting loan consolidation companies or bankruptcy sites. What if you are trying to get health or life insurance and you have been found to be search health symptoms or cancer sites? Once your identifier is figured out, most everywhere you have ever visited can be brought up in these tracking databases.
I don't care like this idea at all and find this privacy invasion of the highest degree.

Lanik
Lab-nik

join:2001-06-25
San Francisco, CA

Lanik

Rick,

Don't get me wrong I hate it no more then the next guy. I just rather know more about it aside from its a good idea to block it. I like my Google tamed and this sounds like something I don't like having around. I block their cookies and scripts as well.

rick752
Premium Member
join:2006-01-27
New York

1 edit

rick752

Premium Member

There is something else that always bothers me about Google ... Why would a tracking company make a toolbar that blocks their own tracking script?

I wonder if this if a false sense of stopping Google's tracking? I just have this feeling that although the Google Toolbar may stop Google Analytics on sites where that script exists, installing the Toolbar itself may actually send tracking from ALL sites visited directly to Google via the toolbar itself ... hence tracking EVERYWHERE you go on your browser and not just where Google Analytics is found.

Think about it.

Lanik
Lab-nik

join:2001-06-25
San Francisco, CA

Lanik

It makes sense but I don't use Google Toolbar and despise it actually it can be more problems then its worth, I was talking about CustomizeGoogle extension: »www.customizegoogle.com and »addons.mozilla.org/en-US ··· ddon/743

rick752
Premium Member
join:2006-01-27
New York

rick752

Premium Member

Oh, sorry lanik. I thought that was the google toolbar that did that ... I have never used either.

Do you know that the google logo that is used in the code that puts the google search box on your site also tracks users? So it isn't just script that collects info (even thought the amount of info collected is diminished with an image).

Lanik
Lab-nik

join:2001-06-25
San Francisco, CA

Lanik

No I didn't know all that. CustomizeGoogle is a good way to make sure you're not tracked by Google. Just another thing I lay on top of whatever else I have blocking it including your filters. I figure one of those 3 things is bound to catch something.

rick752
Premium Member
join:2006-01-27
New York

4 edits

rick752

Premium Member

The EasyList and the Tracking Filter do a very good job of shutting down most of google's tracking abilities.

They probably already know what places I am looking at and where I live when I set 'pins' and an ID for locations when I use Google Earth

Keep thinking about this stuff ... you think no one knows what you are doing on the web?

Unknown_Poster
@verizon.net

Unknown_Poster to rick752

Anon

to rick752
said by rick752:

Google Analytics is Google's way of tracking most everything you do all across the web. It is also used for targeting their advertising to you based on that collected info.

If you don't mind google gathering info on a lot of things you are doing on the internet, then there really is no problem. I personally don't think it's anyone's business what I do but mine.
Bingo.
said by Grail Knight:

There is one who believes Google Analytics are the handiwork of the devil. . . .
It may not be 'the handiwork of the devil', but it can still go pound sand, imo.

I've got something *right here* it can analyze-- let it send a little 'targeted advertising' to *this*, if you catch my drift.