Google ToolBar send info when not in use

google send info

[seo2004wow]

Hi

I was testing some software out over the weekend and this software shows all the headers. I noticed that the toolbar sends out information on which sites you are viewing even when you are not using the toolbar.

So if you using IE for viewing websites with the bar then Google knows what you are doing :)

Use FireFox and not IE if you want Google to be in the dark.

[Mark_A]

I think you should be rather more specific.

What status was your toolbar in?
for example was its pagerank display enabled or not

When you say not in use,
do you mean just not in view? or hidden or that you were not using the search box or any of the specific toolbar features.

If the pagerank display is enabled, it has to call home to find out what it should display, I assume it would do this on screen or as a hidden toolbar.

[seo2004wow]

Hi

IE was open and I was viewing some sites.

My IE has the toolbar installed and PageRank turn on.

But I did not use the toolbar, I entered the URL into IE but the headers from IE was sent to the toolbar.google.com (or some address like this).

I will use the software again tonight when I get home and post the header on here :)

[seo2004wow]

Looks like this guy see the headers too :)

[webmasterworld.com...]

[Mark_A]

I dont know which Google toolbar version you use but recent ones have a pretty specific privacy warning when you enable the page rank function ..

Obviously for it to display anything it has to phone home .. as such it does not matter if you are "using the toolbar" or not whatever that means .. if its installed and visible and working in an MSIE and you have the pagerank feature turned on then its working all the time and will be sending and receiving data as you browse .. it has to.

It would be news of course if you find that yours still sends data when you turn off the pagerank and other privacy affecting functions :-)

Please do let us know if yours continues to phone home :-)

[seo2004wow]

I understand what you are saying.

But to me just because I installed the toolbar, does not make it right to send info back to google, if I don't use the bar to search.

I was using the URL box of IE and NOT the toolbar :)

The bar does not need to send infomation back, If I just type in the web address (URL) in IE.

[seo2004wow]

Plus

"Obviously for it to display anything it has to phone home"

It does not have to do this if I typed in the URL in IE, IE will go and get the page NOT the toolbar, Google does this just because they want to know what you are looking at.

[Mark_A]

I think if you disable the page rank view you may be happier .. then if you type into IE .. the Gtoolbar should not phone home at all, because it needs to collect no data at all to change its display.

BTW there are a few influential IT security analysts around who would have raised a merry stink if the toolbar continued to phone home even when the PR display was off .. as was the case with a couple of download products and a media player.

It might help you if you read the instructions (I dont mean to sound glib but seriously it should explain whats happenning better than I can)