Google Toolbar tracking you even when you say "no"

Tue 26 January 2010 09:50, Bas van den Beld

The fact that the Google Toolbar is used to track data on what you're doing online is not new. It's well known that if you activate the "Enhanced Features" Google will track all the pages you visit. That on itself is reason for many to question the way Google handles privacy-issues.

In a blogpost at benedelman.org the results of some tests are shown which make clear that Google is not just tracking the data when the "Enhanced Features" are activated, but also when they are turned off.

The blogger shows that even though he turned off the toolbar for the specific window the toolbarqueries.google.com server shows it kept on tracking the movements of the user. He made a video of what he did here.

He then also tested whether or not the toolbar would continue to track even when it was disabled via "Manage Add-Ons" and he showed how difficult it is to turn the enhanced features off.

The post really hits the privacy - issue straight on the head. The Google Toolbar already was debatable and if this is true it will be open for discussion even more. Google so far hasn't responded.

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Comments (1)

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I don't like that someone monitor me, even if it is a search engine.

Wo 27 jan 2010, 07:02

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