Google Web accelerator

[mike6688]

I know of recent discussions that this was determined insecure and sometimes would log someone else in as someone else when loading a page.

Furthermore, avast's webshield didn't scan anything when browsing the internet, the scan count just stayed at zero until web accelerator was disabled.

Just wondering does anyone use Google Web Accelerator here and know if these problems still exist.

Thanks,

Mike

[bob3160]

Mike
Take a look at the following:
http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=20005.msg168249#msg168249

[mike6688]

Ok, thanks bob

Mike

[polonus]

Hi mike6688,

For a ciritical view on Google, see the scroogle site. Google recently came under attack, but that is to be understood, in dutch we say "high trees catch a lot of wind". See below,

polonus

[mike6688]

After reading through Scroogle I can understand why they came under attack.  I still like Google but, I think they are invading people's privacy in some respects.

Thanks polonus,

Mike

[CharleyO]

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So then, Mike, use Scroogle. The results are the same but without the crap you see (and worse, do not see) when you use Google alone. As far as search speed is concerned, I can't even tell the scraper is working. Straight to the search page ......

http://www.scroogle.org/cgi-bin/scraper.htm

I actually use Google when searching for info to post in this forum because most people understand and trust where the info is coming from. For my own personal searches, I use Scroogle.   


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EDIT :

Lately, Scroogle seems to have gotten a little sarcastic of Google (and a few other sites) on the search page.
Well, a little sarcasm never hurt anyone but those with a guilty conscience & no self-humor.
Some of them are funny!   


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[mike6688]

Ok I will use scroogle from now on.  I just never realised before about what they were doing with all this information and how they can find information on someone so easily.

Thanks, CharleyO

[Staind]

Meh, google has it your ISP has it, if you read about it there was a government website that dropped a cookie on your computer which would expire in 2038 and recorded every website you visited. SOMEONE knows what you're doing, I think it's better if you know who.

[polonus]

Well mike6688 and CharleyO,

Good that mike688 started this subject, it opens some interesting points of discussion of what goes on behind the scenes inside the Firefox and Mozilla type browsers, because of their bond with Google.

Google has a finger in many puddings, my dear friends, and also the Firefox and Mozilla type browsers are heavily leaning on the almighty Google technology, it is called prefetching. How to disable this read here:
http://www.tweakguides.com/Firefox_12.html
--------------------
 Google and Firefox Prefetch Search Results

Ah, the things our browsers do that we do not see. Google uses a feature of Firefox and other Mozilla browsers to prefetch the HTML content of the first result of a search when Google believes the user is very likely to click it.

Search for "SitePoint" on Google, then pop open the View Source window for the resulting page. If you search for the string "<link" in the code, you'll see this tag:

<link rel="prefetch"
    href="http://www.sitepoint.com/">

Mozilla browsers see this and download the specified URL immediately, so that is cached in preparation for the user to visit the page. At first glance, this looks like a useful and rather harmless feature, but this can actually produce unwanted side-effects for different parties.

Say you're a user on a limited bandwidth connection. Do you really want your browser downloading the first result even if you don't click it? Google's end-user FAQ explains how such users can disable the feature.

But what if you're a Web developer trying to keep your visitor statistics straight? Thanks to this feature, your server may be responding to requests where the user never actually visits your site! The easiest way to fix this is documented in Google's developer FAQ:

Mozilla browser prefetches are sent with a special HTTP request header:

X-moz: prefetch

By trapping such requests and returning a 404 error, you can block prefetch requests. If and when the user does click on the link in the search results, the page will then be requested and loaded normally.

On the other hand the Browster service, doing virtually the same thing (no ad- or spyware), see: http://www.browster.com/  -
and being rather upfront about this, was taken to the scaffold by some , while Google and associates do the same sort of things inside your browser but "under the hood", there is a lot going on unnoticed, my friends,

polonus

[bob3160]

IMHO, if you've got something to worry about in your browsing habits,
then maby all these precautions are needed.
I personally don't care who's looking over my shoulder while I'm on the net so
anything which speeds things up is just fine with me.

Good that mike688 started this subject, it opens some interesting points of discussion of what goes on behind the scenes inside the Firefox and Mozilla type browsers, because of their bond with Google.

Actually, this thread is about the Google Web accelerator......

[CharleyO]

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I agree, polonus. I use Browster some when using IE because it is a little quicker for reading news stories on Earthlink's home page. it also works with Google results. Browster does not seem to slow down IE any and, as you mentioned, is at least "up front" about what they are doing. It was very unfair for Browster to be "hung from the scaffold" while so very many other sources do the same or even worse. And, the one ad you find at the top of Browster is only of the public service type. No spyware is also a plus.

Actually, this is the second time I have had Browster. I have it on my old computer but completely forgot about it on this new computer ... until someone (bob3160?) posted about it again a few months ago. I then did a new test of it and posted results. It is worth using for certain things.

You are right, Bob ... this thread was about Google Web Accelerator.   


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[polonus]

Hi Bob & Charley,

I agree that the topic was a question about Google Webaccelerator, but I was so free to take to a somewhat broader scale, so readers can get a bit of feeling what goes around inside their browsers, allthough they are not aware of it, say not in the least. (webbugs are another chapter there!)

Sorry, if some think I was a tiny bit off-topic there, but these things were very much related, and have to do with browser safety, so it is "our beef", so to put it.
Good if you say, I have nothing to hide ("I in particular haven't either), so the(se)  issue(s) does not bother me, is living like the proverbial ostrich. Because one way or another it may come to touch you, and nobody is going to speak up for you then, if you go along with all that is "brought upon ye", if you understand what I mean to say  To analyse these phenomena  in the Firefox and Flock browser to some depth I use a very nice extension to play and learn about these things, it is called "Tamper Data". Very informative, but meant more towards the advanced & interested users.

polonus

[mike6688]

Actually, this thread is about the Google Web accelerator......

Even I had forgotten this   

Its good to have read about the other issues though, and find out about what Google really does with your data - but as already stated it is just the same as you ISP.

Good if you say, I have nothing to hide ("I in particular haven't either), so the(se) issue(s) does not bother me, is living like the proverbial ostrich. Because one way or another it may come to touch you, and nobody is going to speak up for you then, if you go along with all that is "brought upon ye",

I have nothing to hide either so I don't worry about what Google has on me - it just feels like an invasion of privacy that they can find all this information about you and even know what you were thinking at a specific time 


I'll still use Google and I have some of their software - like Google Earth - I'll stay away from Web Accelerator though for now.

Thanks all,

Mike

[CharleyO]

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While looking for something else, I came across this little nugget. While it is not rated high nor rated popular, I thought one of you might want to try it our and see how it works. It is called G-Zapper and supposedly monitors the google cookie that is unique to you. It has a setting for deleting that unique cookie so that a new one is created ... or blocked entirely which means you cannot use Google nor adsense.

http://www.snapfiles.com/get/gzapper.html

Hmmm ... wonder if Scroogle still works with the google cookie blocked?


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[polonus]

Hi CharleyO,

Sharp on the ball, this one, and clever find, my friend. We'll give it a whirl. Now do you do realize what an enormous wealth of really valuable information we are interchanging here at this webforum site?!. What I came to learn here after my first post, and that is quite some time now, is really amazing. Thank you all for that, co-malware fighters,

polonus