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Is Google tracking?
Oct. 01, 2007, 02:04 AM
Post: #1
Is Google tracking?
Please tell me if anyone has info about this. I went here:
http://www.toshibadirect.com/td/b2c/ads/...anotebooks

and I received a 'Connection Killed'. I don't understood why this happens and I see it every once in awhile. Is it Proxomitron or the site that's killing the connection? Is there a work around for it?

Anyway, while being on the connection killed pageā€¦ I pulled up the log window, hit the browser's back button and this is what came up:

[My computer's side]
+++GET 962+++
CONNECT / HTTP/1.0
Proxy-Connection: Keep-Alive
Content-Length: 0
Host: ssl.google-analytics.com
+++CLOSE 960+++
+++CLOSE 961+++

+++SSL 962:+++
SSL Pass-Thru: CONNECT https://ssl.google-analytics.com:443/
+++CLOSE 962+++

I never noticed this before but it looks like Google might be tracking through an SSL connection. It's a little disturbing, is there a way to block it?
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Oct. 01, 2007, 05:03 AM
Post: #2
RE: Is Google tracking?
Google-analytics does do tracking. I found that it slowed down page loading, so I put it in the connection-killer blocklist (which is the Ad-list, unless you change that). A header filter in Scott's original default.cfg can kill connections (URL-Killer: Kill-a-URL). I made a separate blocklist for it and took the ad-list out of it. Among many other URLs, I have google-analytics in that list.
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Oct. 01, 2007, 06:02 PM
Post: #3
RE: Is Google tracking?
i see ssl.google-analytics.com in my hosts file (so any of hphosts, MVPS Hosts, or Spybot put it there)...

but yes, "be very afraid"...
what everybody and their sister was saying about Microsoft a decade or so ago, they should be saying TENFOLD about Google...

Google is "data-mining" like NOBODY has EVER done before...

and computer users tend to turn a blind eye to Google?
if Microsoft's "Live Search" did anything "near" that of Google, they'd be thrown into court a dozen times already...
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Oct. 01, 2007, 11:36 PM
Post: #4
RE: Is Google tracking?
SeaLily;

Much of that Google tracking occurs due to their permanent cookie. Making that a session-only cookie is a good start, but even then, sometimes you can still get caught up in the net.

What I finally did was to install G-Zapper, a small proggie that basically writes a fake cookie for Google to entertain itself with. All the personal stuff, and all the previously searched terms, are carefully removed each time Google attempts to re-write the cookie with new data. That means, everytime Google looks at the crumb, it thinks that you are a brand new viewer. Nothing wrong with that, eh? Wink

HTH


Oddysey

I'm no longer in the rat race - the rats won't have me!
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Oct. 02, 2007, 03:57 PM
Post: #5
RE: Is Google tracking?
err, checked out G-Zapper's web page - http://www.dummysoftware.com/gzapper.html

and, uh, nothing there that Proxo isn't already doin', why you need G-Zapper?


ps - hmm, i'm sure that the systray clock on their site reads 9:11 for a reason, doh!
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Oct. 03, 2007, 07:25 AM
Post: #6
RE: Is Google tracking?
Why let Google set cookies at all? I have made sure that Google is not able to set any cookies.
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Oct. 05, 2007, 04:25 PM
Post: #7
RE: Is Google tracking?
The question seems to be "why duplicate what Proxo can already do?"

Because I don't wanna take the time to micro-manage the cookie for each and every site that I use regularly, and which requires a cookie in order to operate. (Although I do admit to passing fantasies of giving a real shot in the arm to the airline industry, as I purchase tickets and go "visit" the authors of these highly unnecessary little atrocities. Pervert)

I let the default config handle the mundane chores, but occasionally that doesn't do the job, so I have to roll up my sleeves, that's true. But I'm tired of doing that on a site-by-site basis. G-zapper actually handles the tracking cookies from many sites, if you pony up for the big-boy edition. Makes life easier for me, AFAIC. Applause


Oddysey

I'm no longer in the rat race - the rats won't have me!
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Oct. 06, 2007, 06:19 AM
Post: #8
RE: Is Google tracking?
I find that defaulting to blocking cookies and making exceptions to the rule for those sites whose cookies I need saves me a lot of work. I do not have any unwanted cookies.
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Oct. 06, 2007, 06:41 AM
Post: #9
RE: Is Google tracking?
Siamesecat;
Quote:I find that defaulting to blocking cookies and making exceptions to the rule for those sites whose cookies I need saves me a lot of work. I do not have any unwanted cookies.
That is exactly what I do, except........

The problem comes in when a site might use more than one cookie, for whatever purposes. If a site is on the Cookie-Bypass list, then any number of cookies from that site might show up, and they'd all be OK. But what if only one of them is truly necessary? That's where you either write very specific filters, or just use G-zapper, and be done with it.Whistling


Oddysey

I'm no longer in the rat race - the rats won't have me!
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Oct. 12, 2007, 01:28 AM
Post: #10
RE: Is Google tracking?
I'm even lazier; I just use this site as it has all crud removed already.

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