Google database of attack sites for Firefox - privacy issue?

[pavlovapete]

I just got that "This site is dodgy" in Firefox. A bit of digging shows that this is a service provided by Google presumably for Firefox users.

Does this mean that every URL I visit in Firefox goes through Google first?

Example:
This web site at www.example.com has been reported as an attack site and has been blocked based on your security preferences.

http://safebrowsing.clients.google.com/safebrowsing/diagnostic?client=Firefox&hl=en-US&site=http://www.example.com/

[edited by: Robert_Charlton at 5:13 am (utc) on Oct. 26, 2009]
[edit reason] de-activated sample link [/edit]

[Robert Charlton]

The feature is called Safe Browsing. It's an anti-phishing database and detection setup, as has an extra mode called Enhanced Protection....

Google Safe Browsing for Firefox
Frequently Asked Questions
[google.com...]

When [Enhanced Protection is] enabled, the entire URL of the site that you're visiting will be securely transmitted to Google for evaluation....

...If you disable Enhanced Protection, no information about the pages you visit will be sent to Google unless you visit a page Google Safe Browsing identifies as potentially unsafe. In this case, we will only send the action you choose to take to help refine our anti-phishing algorithms....

Also...

Google Firefox Extensions - Privacy Notices
[google.com...]

Google Safe Browsing
...
- If you choose to enable Enhanced Protection, Safe Browsing will send page information, including the URLs of pages you visit, to Google for evaluation.

- Google will not associate the information that Safe Browsing logs with other personal information about you. However, it is possible that a URL or other page information sent to Google may itself contain personal information....

etc...

Most security suites these days have similar features.

[pavlovapete]

Thanks Robert Charlton. That pretty much answers my question quite conclusively.

It pays to read the fine print doesn't it?