Google hasn't been out the press over the past few months over privacy concerns.
But a developer is fighting back. Google Alarm, which has been created by Jamie Wilkinson, is designed to bring some visibility to exactly how much personal information Google is collecting by giving users visual and audible alerts while they browse. It keeps a running stat about the percentage of visited websites that include Google "tracking bugs" including Google Analytics, Google AdSense and API calls.
Jamie Wilkinson told Mashable that the alarm "inspects each page you visit for Google-related URLs: googleanalytics.com/ga.js for Google Analytics (Google Analytics), doubleclick.net/googlesyndication.com URLs for AdSense, youtube.com/v/ for YouTube (YouTube) embeds, and many more.
“Each service triggers an individual visual and audible alert to help you become more aware of when you’re transmitting data to Google.”
There is also a notification that pops up on the corner of a browser informing users whenever Google is getting its hands on your personal information. The plugin is currently available for Firefox and Chrome.
Google has become one of the biggest companies bandied about when it comes to user privacy and for good reason. Last week it had been awarded a patent for displaying search results based on how people use their mouse cursor on the screen.
It has also come under scrutiny from the Consumer Watchdog, which has said that the Energy and Commerce Committee must conduct hearings into Google privacy violations, with information coming to light about Google's classified contracts with the US government. Consumer Watchdog suggests that Google has been fibbing.
Check this trick out using your own IP if you like.
http://o-o.resolver.35.176.51.199.cn3uzlqs2ep32dsm.l.google.com
You will get a 302 reply
Some people might know already that FireFox does a DNS lookup on any links it comes across to speed things up, so they say incase you are about to click on a link ! yeah thats right all 200 links in a google page to aid DNS tracking using UDP.
Now you may have noticed wiki coming in first on most google result pages and might not think much about it but did you know that using FireFox the first google result link is downloaded as a hidden page and any spyware calls linked to the hidden page are also called :(
Using IE7 you need to block/turn off (Long list)
Cookies, DOM, UserData, Flash Cookies/Shard objects, AWT, ActiveX, Java.DefautToolKit,Index.Dat Files to be in with a chance of keeping Big Bro out your lives and have no chance using Crome or Firefox that now even has folders called crome if you look in appdata.
I will try this new bowser out and report back if i have the time on the results but i'm not expecting too much in the way of privacy and will sing from the tree tops if it does what it says on the box.
Does anyone know why FireFox signs me up to BBC News feeds by default or why mozila send a redirect back to the BBC when the browser requests the XML feed from Mozilia because i sure don't.