Google toolbar

Privacy?

[GWJ]

Hi,

I have been torn on the Google toolbar. I want to see my sites PR. So I did a search on WebmasterWorld today and found some of the following...

[webmasterworld.com...]

[webmasterworld.com...]

[webmasterworld.com...]

[webmasterworld.com...]

They are dated posts, so I read the Google forum here. Are there any privacy concerns still or have they been weeded out? If there are still concerns should I install I.E and only use the toolbar with it, so they can not track my "useall surfing"?

Thanks in advance,

Brian

[Chris_R]

As far as I know all the concerns still exist. I believe people have used packet sniffers to prove that the toolbar does not send any data when disabled - either through advanced settings or by deselecting the bar in explorer.

Assuming this was true - I am sure they advanced options is true - then you could load it either only in IE (I have the impression you do not use IE) and use whatever else for your surfing - or simply disable it when not wanted.

Personally I feel lost without it. I am concerned about the privacy thing - and do feel google should do a better job informing us what exactly they will be using this for. The toolbar is so very nice - I have sold my privacy for its convenience.

[WebGuerrilla]

It is such a quick and easy install, that I add and remove it on a regular basis.

It's great foe doing PR comparison stuff, but for general or client related surfing I don't use it. I'm to lazy to set up a packet sniffer, so I just don't use it.

[bufferzone]

I only use google toolbar on my work PC (not on my private). I don't do anything on my work PC that google must not see and use (nor on my private for that matter). So I have no problem with privacy.

[GoogleGuy]

Hey, I can verify that if you turn off the advanced features of the toolbar, it doesn't send any info to Google at all as you surf. Many others have verified this externally with packet sniffers. We try our best to respect privacy--that's why we made the toolbar completely opt-in on the advanced/pagerank features.

[yobb]

Packet sniffing doesn't help here. While you have the bar turned off it could easily remember what you do and send it all to google as soon as you switch the bar on again. Secure encryption and there is no way recognising this kind of behaviour. It's like most of the time: if you use a progg on your pc you have to trust it.
However, I guess a big company like google would not do illegal tricks.

[GoogleGuy]

I see what you're saying yobb. No, we don't do anything like that either. When the PageRank bar is off, it doesn't gather or save up any info. The communication is truly stopped, and what you do then is your own business. :)

[Brett_Tabke]

Since you guys are doing Gzip on the toolbar data, why don't you guys go to Gzip encoded pages full time?