Google Toolbar

Next the Google toolbar will save the world from Global Warming, please give me a break, the guy even admits on that page that spyware is part of Google's program.

Thank you for the confirmation.

 

It is not spyware if you say it's ok to install it. Google's toolbar asks if you want anonymous information sent to Google.

Some could also argue the fact that "anonymous" information isn't spying. Spying is only useful if you know who/what the target is.

 

So if I am a known Peeping Tom, convicted in a court of law for looking through windows, that means next time I do it, since the neighbors already know I am a peeping Tom, that I ain't a peeping Tom next time I look in their window.

Thank you for the explaination, I think that if you really want to look at the situation, it is simply transfer of information to third parties that folks are worried about.

The autoupdating feature of the toolbar is one that puts it in the spyware catagory. You do not know what code Google is downloading when the update happens, you do not know when it is updating do you?

How do you know what information Google is collecting? What new information do you know that they could collect when updating without your knowledge?

Ask Sergey for me will you?

 

Regardless,

"It is not spyware if you say it's ok to install it. " still stands.

 

That's not an adequate example. What Google does is say "Hey, do you mind if I send in non-traceable statistics"? Or to put it in line with what your quote, it is more like watching a directed movie about fictional characters instead of "Peeping".

This is easily disabled...
Disable Google Statistic Gathering

Windows can auto-update itself. Thousands of well built apps can too. It's a feature.

Google Privacy Policy

It's only spyware if they collect information that they don't say they are. "Spy" infers an act of covertness.

 

I may be a bit behind, when did Google start with the disable autoupdate feature. Does this disqualify it as spyware in THEIR MINDS?

Looks like Google is Bending over Backward to keep the data mining going on.
What will they concede next? No toolbar at all?

VS I am glad you once and for all settled this important matter to us all, again.

If it is settled, then why is it a hot issue on all of the forums?

 

How do you figure it is "non traceable"? They have your browser type, your IP address, your page views, your searches and click through's.

Would you like them to know what is on your hard drive (New Puffin deskware) and your Email (Gmail), who your friends are (Orkut) what your blog says (Blogger) can you think of who would know more about you than Google? They know more about you than your Mother, GET REAL!

I hope that you understand that Larry and Sergey could care less about you, but really love information about you. So wake up!

 

Back to the question that was originally posted: Do you use the google bar and if so how?

I will add - how many of you turn on the feature for them to use your computing power?

 

ThinkBling

Can you show us by Google's page where the Autoupdater can be disabled?

When I looked at the page you gave links to the only thing that could be disabled was the information collection when you turned off the page rank gauge.

Everyone should read the pages that you provided the link to since they really show that Google does record every page view when Page Rank gauge is enabled.

But please show us where the Autoupdating can be disabled, you are wrong about that statement in your post I believe, please illustrate from any Google page how this can be done.

 

I have it turned on. It is totally non intrusive as far as I'm concerned. In fact when I open the Windows Task Manager I'm often surprised to see it running, because it never effects performance as far as I can tell.

 

Correction to my previous post. The link was previously noted incorrectly. It should have noted as "Disable Google Statistic Gathering" and not "Disable Google Toolbar Autoupdate".

I am currently playing around with the registry settings to see if I can get the Toolbar to not auto-update. Since I have to wait for a new version before I can test if this works, I'll keep everybody posted.

 

I use the toolbar everyday, numerous times.

I have every feature possible turned on.

 

There are a lot of people that are anti-toolbar until they start actually using it. Compared to the alternatives out there, it seems the hands down best.