Surfing as Googlebot

[lotuseclat79]

I saw the following on digg.com (2538) this AM and thought I would post it here for comments:

Surfing As GoogleBot - Their IP, Their User-Agent, Their Bot Characteristics (http://www.thegooglecache.com/uncategorized/googles-real-back-door/?surf-as-google).

The interesting thing about the article is that it mentions 5 different types of cloaking and how to beat them:
1. Beat IP Delivery: Use Google Translate as a Proxy, translating from spanish->english even though the site is already in English.
2. Beat User-Agent Cloaking: Use the FirefoxUser-Agent Switcher to spoof as GoogleBot
3. Beat Javascript Detection: Use the Firefox Web Developer Toolbar to turn off javascript.
4. Beat Cookie Detection: Use the Firefox Web Developer Toolbar to turn off cookies.
5. Beat Referer Detection: Use the Firefox RefControl Extension to prevent referer from being sent.

Is this legal?

-- Tom

[WSFuser]

I have to try this out.

[acknsyn]

What is the advantage of this? Everything you do will be cache by google and your using their IP but they have your IP.

[lotuseclat79]

Hi acknsyn,

Googlebot is a webcrawler that visits websites to cache them. In no way shape or form will Google cache a masqueraded use of Googlebots identity to hide your privacy be cached and the website you visit apparently won't know your IP when you use Google Translate as a proxy.

-- Tom

P.S. I just want to know if its legal or not - it does sound as though its sneaky.

[acknsyn]

{QUOTE->
... the website you visit apparently won't know your IP when you use Google Translate as a proxy.
<-QUOTE}
That is true but Google knows your IP as your using it as a proxy. I dont see anything illegal about using it unless there is specific warning about such usage from Google, but I have no background in law.

[SteveTX]

You will be able to surf as googlebot in xB Browser 2.0.0.6b

All you have to do is select it from the dropdown box on the navigation bar and suddenly you are browsing the New York Times for free.

[The_1337]

{QUOTE-> You will be able to surf as googlebot in xB Browser 2.0.0.6b

All you have to do is select it from the dropdown box on the navigation bar and suddenly you are browsing the New York Times for free. <-QUOTE}

do you have to set anything up?

[beethoven]

{QUOTE-> All you have to do is select it from the dropdown box on the navigation bar and suddenly you are browsing the New York Times for free. <-QUOTE}

Sounds to me like stealing - just imagine you go into a shop with a hood over your face and take the things you like just because you are not afraid of being caught.
I can well imagine situations where using this procedure is legal and appropriate but to obtain services that otherwise cost money would not fall into this category.

[Paranoid2000]

{QUOTE-> Sounds to me like stealing - just imagine you go into a shop with a hood over your face and take the things you like just because you are not afraid of being caught. <-QUOTE}When you are gaining access to content online, "stealing" isn't really an accurate term - "unauthorised access" would be better. This certainly may be illegal in some juristictions, but if a website chooses to create such a security hole just to gain search engine ranking, it presumably considers this a price worth paying.

[AJohn]

{QUOTE-> You will be able to surf as googlebot in xB Browser 2.0.0.6b

All you have to do is select it from the dropdown box on the navigation bar and suddenly you are browsing the New York Times for free. <-QUOTE}

This may sound funny, but you finally earned my full trust :D

[iceni60]

what's a gogglebot lol

[AJohn]

A computer set up by Google to constantly scan websites and submit the information back to Google.

[Meriadoc]

You can also choose it using Konq, under tools, configure...

[iceni60]

{QUOTE-> A computer set up by Google to constantly scan websites and submit the information back to Google. <-QUOTE}looooooool, that's a googlebot, not a gogglebot.

you can do all that with proxomitron too, it's posted here if you search for googlebot and proxomitron.

[AJohn]

Ohh, well the topic should read "Google" ;D

[firefox2008]

Go here and and you will see that Googlebots IP shows up along with yours so this really doesn't create any advantage with privacy.


http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&langpair=en%7Ces&u=http://www.leader.ru/secure/who.html&prev=/translate_s%3Fhl%3Den%26q%3Dleader.ru%26sl%3Des%26tl%3Den

[iceni60]

{QUOTE-> Ohh, well the topic should read "Google" ;D <-QUOTE} :P

i decided to add the googlebot filter to proxomitron, but when i enable it and go to the wilders front page -
http://www.wilderssecurity.com/index.php
all the stuff at the bottom of the page disappears ???

here's what i mean -

this is without the googlebot filter showing how the forum normally looks -

195577

and this is how it looks when i enable the filter, stuff goes missing at the bottom of the forum :(

195578

does that happen to any one else while using the googlebot User-Agent? or is it only me? is anyone else using the proxomitron googlebot filter? i was thinking maybe it's how the forum is setup, but i don't think that really sounds right, so maybe it's a problem with proxo :blink:

[LowWaterMark]

That is how the forum is setup. Googlebot doesn't need to see who's online at any particular moment, or the member birthdays and so on, so none of that displays for them. It's basically a simplified page for indexing purposes.

[caspian]

What's the benefit of using it? Do you have access to sites that you normally would not have access to

[iceni60]

{QUOTE-> That is how the forum is setup. Googlebot doesn't need to see who's online at any particular moment, or the member birthdays and so on, so none of that displays for them. It's basically a simplified page for indexing purposes. <-QUOTE}
thanks for the help.
{QUOTE-> What's the benefit of using it? Do you have access to sites that you normally would not have access to <-QUOTE}you might get more access to some sites, maybe forums, like using google cache in google search results.

[caspian]

{QUOTE-> You will be able to surf as googlebot in xB Browser 2.0.0.6b

All you have to do is select it from the dropdown box on the navigation bar and suddenly you are browsing the New York Times for free. <-QUOTE}

I didn't see it in XB. What is it listed as?