Google still does some stuff I consider very shady. They even tricked me with their search links and I do everything I can to avoid click through ads, etc. But on their main search page the links to the content look like they go direct when you hover over them. On mouse down they change the link to a google link that captures the click and then redirects you. It is just so deceptive since they are showing you that the link is direct and hijacking it when you click it. It is easy to see this.
1) Google search something.
2) Hover over a link and it looks like it is direct.
3) Right click the link
4) Dismiss the context menu and hover over the link again. (Or you can copy Link from the menu and go paste it somewhere)
You will see a nice google URL either way. The only reason to hijack the link on mouse down is to be deceptive. They show you the URL in the search result, so they cannot say it is for that.
Not entirely clear what you mean. I just did a sample search for "spices for chicken". Whether hovering, right-clicking or opening in a new window I see the same result. If you mean the search result is logged well of course it is. Apple has desktop search tracking on by default too within Safari. If that's the issue it's easy to avoid or turn off entirely in your Google Search settings.
-Sign in to your Google account if you aren’t already signed in.
-Click the gear icon in the upper right corner (example shown in figure on the right).
-Choose “Settings”’
the page that pops up has a button that says "Turn off". Click it. It's that easy.
Want to get rid of whatever search history was already logged? That's just as easy. Click on the highlighted "delete" link in the sentence "You can also delete all past Google Search activity or remove particular items from your recent activity". In the resultant dialog box click "Delete All" if that's what you want or delete only selected items by clicking on the "recent activity" in that sentence if you want to keep some to make future searches more relevant or to quickly find a specific page you had already referenced.
I don't think you saw what I was talking about. Perhaps you are using a browser other than Safari. Google will show you a search result like this on the screen and when you hover over the link.
The issue I have with this is not even them tracking what I selected. If I would have clicked on that link, I may start getting Microsoft ads served up by Google's double-click unit. When I figured this out I searched for a ski resort to just look it up as someone had mentioned it. Then I got ads for that resort on many sites I was visiting. I just went and deleted my cookies for google and double click. No more ads based on my searches.
What he is saying is that the tooltip shows a link to the page you want, but the link itself is a link to google with a foreward to your page. The end result is the same.
The result is that Google knows which links you have clicked on when viewing for a given search string. which they duly record for later searches.
If you don't have any need to easily revisit a page or just don't want your searches noted for whatever reason then turn it off. It's simple. Follow the directions in my previous post. It really isn't all that hard to use the better search engine, Google Search, and still avoid tracking. I think a lot of folks don't ever take the time to look. perhaps preferring to complain about it rather than making any effort to change it.
If it were really such a concern I can't imagine why someone wouldn't take the time to figure out how to modify it. A search that takes mere seconds would have found how to do it.
I don't need to use the setting you posted. I don't login to Google on my main browser. There is no need to use their search engine. Them being deceptive with the links was enough to ensure I never use their engine again. I have no concern for myself, but posted what they are doing for the benefit of others.
The action is being brought by 3 private individuals not the government. If a court rules that compensation must be paid, then the individuals who join the action on Monday (I expect thousands will, including me) will get that compensation, not the Government. The Information Commissioner could have imposed a fine but they investigated this in 2012 and didn't fine Google. So no money for the Government. As for damages, the judge indicated that there could be damages granted for the distress and anxiety caused. That's a matter for the trial, and this decision simply says that a trial can happen. Even if Google ends up paying no compensation, the story has been headline news in the UK today and probably will be headline news when the trial comes along, so Google suffer the negative publicity if nothing else.
During this period I used safari on iPad iphone and multiple macs, where do I sign up?
The difference is that you cannot prove material harm. If someone takes your property, that's a different matter. I'd want to take a very close look at the terms of use agreement one "signs" prior to using a web browser. If you were using a browser YOU designed on a network YOU own, things might be different.
I disagree. Here is another example. Someone connected to a web site that you visit somehow uses the connection to copy a phenomenal photo or a private photo of you if you are a celebrity. They then sell that photo for an outrageous amount. Once again, you had no intent of selling that photo but it clearly has value and that value is the price they obtained from selling it. You still have the original.
By the way, I don't recall agreeing to a license when I first opened Safari. Regardless, I doubt there is any place in a license agreement that I may have agreed to that says I give the entity at the other end the right to bypass my security settings. If there were, all hacking can be considered legal.
I disagree. Here is another example. Someone connected to a web site that you visit somehow uses the connection to copy a phenomenal photo or a private photo of you if you are a celebrity. They then sell that photo for an outrageous amount. Once again, you had no intent of selling that photo but it clearly has value and that value is the price they obtained from selling it. You still have the original.
By the way, I don't recall agreeing to a license when I first opened Safari. Regardless, I doubt there is any place in a license agreement that I may have agreed to that says I give the entity at the other end the right to bypass my security settings. If there were, all hacking can be considered legal.
Unfortunately it isn't illegal to bypass your security settings. That's why "Do Not Track" is an abysmal failure with the setting widely ignored across the web.
I disagree. Here is another example. Someone connected to a web site that you visit somehow uses the connection to copy a phenomenal photo or a private photo of you if you are a celebrity. They then sell that photo for an outrageous amount. Once again, you had no intent of selling that photo but it clearly has value and that value is the price they obtained from selling it. You still have the original.
By the way, I don't recall agreeing to a license when I first opened Safari. Regardless, I doubt there is any place in a license agreement that I may have agreed to that says I give the entity at the other end the right to bypass my security settings. If there were, all hacking can be considered legal.
Additionally, all activity online has been determined by our own US government to be public information (in other words, not private), which has given them wide legal latitude to scrape, collect and hack data.
Unfortunately it isn't illegal to bypass your security settings. That's why "Do Not Track" is an abysmal failure with the setting widely ignored across the web.
Hacking isn't illegal? Because bypassing your security settings is the definition of hacking. How is Google tricking your computer to send your personal information which you want to keep private to their servers any different than a hacker bypassing a bank's security settings and getting their computers to send credit card and other information to the hackers?
Additionally, all activity online has been determined by our own US government to be public information (in other words, not private), which has given them wide legal latitude to scrape, collect and hack data.
And nowhere in that agreement does it say that Google can bypass your privacy settings. As for all online activity being public information, the information stored on your computer is not online until it goes over the the internet. Until then it is private information. By your argument, since all banks are connected to the internet, all the information in the banks is public information. Not true.
Comments
Google still does some stuff I consider very shady. They even tricked me with their search links and I do everything I can to avoid click through ads, etc. But on their main search page the links to the content look like they go direct when you hover over them. On mouse down they change the link to a google link that captures the click and then redirects you. It is just so deceptive since they are showing you that the link is direct and hijacking it when you click it. It is easy to see this.
1) Google search something.
2) Hover over a link and it looks like it is direct.
3) Right click the link
4) Dismiss the context menu and hover over the link again. (Or you can copy Link from the menu and go paste it somewhere)
You will see a nice google URL either way. The only reason to hijack the link on mouse down is to be deceptive. They show you the URL in the search result, so they cannot say it is for that.
Not entirely clear what you mean. I just did a sample search for "spices for chicken". Whether hovering, right-clicking or opening in a new window I see the same result.
Go to the web page https://history.google.com
-Sign in to your Google account if you aren’t already signed in.
-Click the gear icon in the upper right corner (example shown in figure on the right).
-Choose “Settings”’
the page that pops up has a button that says "Turn off". Click it. It's that easy.
Want to get rid of whatever search history was already logged? That's just as easy. Click on the highlighted "delete" link in the sentence "You can also delete all past Google Search activity or remove particular items from your recent activity". In the resultant dialog box click "Delete All" if that's what you want or delete only selected items by clicking on the "recent activity" in that sentence if you want to keep some to make future searches more relevant or to quickly find a specific page you had already referenced.
I don't think you saw what I was talking about. Perhaps you are using a browser other than Safari. Google will show you a search result like this on the screen and when you hover over the link.
http://www.microsoft.com
But when you click it, it changes the URL to something like this...
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=xxxxxxxxx&url=http://www.microsoft.com/&ei=xxxxxxxx_xxxxxxx&usg=xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx&bvm=bv.xxxxxxxxxx,d.eXY
You do end up at Microsoft after a redirect.
The issue I have with this is not even them tracking what I selected. If I would have clicked on that link, I may start getting Microsoft ads served up by Google's double-click unit. When I figured this out I searched for a ski resort to just look it up as someone had mentioned it. Then I got ads for that resort on many sites I was visiting. I just went and deleted my cookies for google and double click. No more ads based on my searches.
What he is saying is that the tooltip shows a link to the page you want, but the link itself is a link to google with a foreward to your page. The end result is the same.
The result is that Google knows which links you have clicked on when viewing for a given search string. which they duly record for later searches.
If you don't have any need to easily revisit a page or just don't want your searches noted for whatever reason then turn it off. It's simple. Follow the directions in my previous post. It really isn't all that hard to use the better search engine, Google Search, and still avoid tracking. I think a lot of folks don't ever take the time to look. perhaps preferring to complain about it rather than making any effort to change it.
If it were really such a concern I can't imagine why someone wouldn't take the time to figure out how to modify it. A search that takes mere seconds would have found how to do it.
I don't need to use the setting you posted. I don't login to Google on my main browser. There is no need to use their search engine. Them being deceptive with the links was enough to ensure I never use their engine again. I have no concern for myself, but posted what they are doing for the benefit of others.
During this period I used safari on iPad iphone and multiple macs, where do I sign up?
The difference is that you cannot prove material harm. If someone takes your property, that's a different matter. I'd want to take a very close look at the terms of use agreement one "signs" prior to using a web browser. If you were using a browser YOU designed on a network YOU own, things might be different.
I disagree. Here is another example. Someone connected to a web site that you visit somehow uses the connection to copy a phenomenal photo or a private photo of you if you are a celebrity. They then sell that photo for an outrageous amount. Once again, you had no intent of selling that photo but it clearly has value and that value is the price they obtained from selling it. You still have the original.
By the way, I don't recall agreeing to a license when I first opened Safari. Regardless, I doubt there is any place in a license agreement that I may have agreed to that says I give the entity at the other end the right to bypass my security settings. If there were, all hacking can be considered legal.
Yes, you agreed to a software license for every piece of software you use on a computer or iOS device. Example: http://apple-mac-update.blogspot.com/2013/01/iphone-ios-software-license-agreement.html?m=1
Additionally, all activity online has been determined by our own US government to be public information (in other words, not private), which has given them wide legal latitude to scrape, collect and hack data.
Hacking isn't illegal? Because bypassing your security settings is the definition of hacking. How is Google tricking your computer to send your personal information which you want to keep private to their servers any different than a hacker bypassing a bank's security settings and getting their computers to send credit card and other information to the hackers?
And nowhere in that agreement does it say that Google can bypass your privacy settings. As for all online activity being public information, the information stored on your computer is not online until it goes over the the internet. Until then it is private information. By your argument, since all banks are connected to the internet, all the information in the banks is public information. Not true.
Equally contemptible are American courts that consider individual liberty, personal privacy important only if dollar$ are involved.