BitDefender TrafficLight breaks your privacy

[Page42]

I'm really looking forward to re-installing TL.
Like many others, I removed it when m00n discovered the query over HTTP issue, and the need for engine query strip search.
I'm proud that one of our own members got this change implemented.
And kudos to BD for paying attention.

[m00nbl00d]

Originally Posted by Page42

I'm really looking forward to re-installing TL.
Like many others, I removed it when m00n discovered the query over HTTP issue, and the need for engine query strip search.
I'm proud that one of our own members got this change implemented.
And kudos to BD for paying attention.

I'm actually anxious for the new TL version to arrive with the needed changes (of course, one of the changes had to be implemented on the servers as well - https)! I've been waiting for this change since May!!

On a side note, I also hope it brings improvements regarding tracking protection.

[m00nbl00d]

I think they (BitDefender) live in an entirely different timezone.

[Dundertaker]

Removed. Thanks moonblood you rock!

[mattbiernat]

any update on TL?

[m00nbl00d]

Originally Posted by mattbiernat

any update on TL?

I just took a look at Chrome Web Store, and it's still the same version, from February. So, I highly doubt any updated versions came out for other web browsers.

How long has it been since they said at BitDefender own forum that they were going to fix it in a couple weeks?

[mattbiernat]

Yeah i've noticed the same. Already gone from my system.

[gugarci]

I guess there's no new update on this new version?

[Page42]

Originally Posted by gugarci

I guess there's no new update on this new version?

V0.2.1 was released 12 days ago, as posted here.

[gugarci]

Thanks.

[AMIGA500]

Well google breaks everyones privacy in all manner of ways and yet people still advocate the use of chrome etc.Upon research of this some people would even call google a spyware.So is everyone going to uninstall chrome?

One bad comment and everyone is uninstalling.
May as well not install any software and be done with it.
How long have people been using trafficlight.?
Only until now they notice something is wrong.?

The discussion about the privacy of google has been going on for years and yet people still use their products..
Why is this.?
Strange to say the least.

[m00nbl00d]

Originally Posted by Beethoven1770

Well google breaks everyones privacy in all manner of ways and yet people still advocate the use of chrome etc.Upon research of this some people would even call google a spyware.So is everyone going to uninstall chrome?

One bad comment and everyone is uninstalling.
May as well not install any software and be done with it.
How long have people been using trafficlight.?
Only until now they notice something is wrong.?

The discussion about the privacy of google has been going on for years and yet people still use their products..
Why is this.?
Strange to say the least.

First of all, the purpose of this thread was to alert anyone concerned about their privacy, that if they were using TL, then some private info they'd like to keep private, was being sent to BitDefender's servers over HTTP.

Do you realize some people may simply not want their ISPs to have access to whatever they search on Google, Bing, etc? I hope you realize that?

Also, have we been discussing Google or its products? Is TrafficLight only available for Google Chrome? The answer is NO, to both questions.

For instance, TL is available for Firefox as well (extension), and for other web browsers (full installer version). Not to mention, there are quite a few variants of Chromium web browser (which is the one I use), such as COMODO Dragon, etc. People will use the web browser they prefer, and the company behind it they like the most.

I really don't see your comment useful, at all. You don't like it, ignore it. lol

[PJC]

I've never liked BitDefender TrafficLight...

[AMIGA500]

Originally Posted by m00nbl00d

First of all, the purpose of this thread was to alert anyone concerned about their privacy, that if they were using TL, then some private info they'd like to keep private, was being sent to BitDefender's servers over HTTP.

Do you realize some people may simply not want their ISPs to have access to whatever they search on Google, Bing, etc? I hope you realize that?

Also, have we been discussing Google or its products? Is TrafficLight only available for Google Chrome? The answer is NO, to both questions.

For instance, TL is available for Firefox as well (extension), and for other web browsers (full installer version). Not to mention, there are quite a few variants of Chromium web browser (which is the one I use), such as COMODO Dragon, etc. People will use the web browser they prefer, and the company behind it they like the most.

I really don't see your comment useful, at all. You don't like it, ignore it. lol

My comment is very much useful and relevant to this thread in regard to privacy etc.
You still have not explained the google privacy issue with clarity.
You bring before us all an issue with trafficlight and then try to put some form of importance on a single issue when there are clearly other privacy issues amongst us,notably google and yet you attempt to put that issue under the carpet and say it isnt relevant.
Why put emphasis on trafficlight.?
You need to look at the full picture concerning privacy and then maybe you can enlighten us all with some constructive solutions.
I dont use trafficlight myself so it isnt a concern of mine but i do use google search engine so that maybe a concern.But you seem not to see any problems with this and would rather cackle on about trafficlight.
If its such a problem for people then just uninstall it.
As ive said before its a trivial concern when the whole web is full of privacy concerns.Ponder on that and then get back to us with some clarified and constructive ideas.
Regards.

[m00nbl00d]

Originally Posted by Beethoven1770

My comment is very much useful and relevant to this thread in regard to privacy etc.

If you say so.

You still have not explained the google privacy issue with clarity.

What Google privacy issue? This thread is about a TL privacy issue that has been fixed, so I'm not sure why you're talking about a Google privacy issue?

You bring before us all an issue with trafficlight and then try to put some form of importance on a single issue when there are clearly other privacy issues amongst us,notably google and yet you attempt to put that issue under the carpet and say it isnt relevant.

Unfortunately, I'm human and just one person, and therefore I cannot find and expose all possible privacy issues. Can I? If I had profit from it, and made it a full time job... who knows... lol

Why put emphasis on trafficlight.?

Why put emphasis on other privacy issues, including Google, when this is about one specific privacy issue? If you'd like to discuss about other privacy issues, search the forum and you'll find plenty of them.

You need to look at the full picture concerning privacy and then maybe you can enlighten us all with some constructive solutions.

And, I am looking at the full picture. And, that was precisely why I monitored TrafficLight to see if any leaks were happening. I decided to report it at Wilders Security Forum, and from that moment on, any person is free to make a decision - keep using it or not use it, until BitDefender solved it. I believe this is what most folks did, while others most certaintly only cared about the security benefit of it, malicious domain protection, and it was in their right to do it so.

I dont use trafficlight myself so it isnt a concern of mine but i do use google search engine so that maybe a concern.But you seem not to see any problems with this and would rather cackle on about trafficlight.

And, because you use Google services, I should start investigating about any possible Google privacy issues... just to please you? Sorry, but that will never happen. I only discovered the issue about TL because I wanted to use it myself, and the reported it here, after contacting with BitDefender a month before.

I could very well just talk with BitDefender, and they could do whatever they wanted to do. It happens, they agreed with me. And, then they finally solved it.

Regarding Google issues, I believe you'll find plenty of info on this forum, other forums and all over the web. Maybe do a little research about it? Then act upon the info you find out; or, if you don't find any, then maybe start your own thread about Google privacy issues? Then, based on any new info you get about Google privacy issues, then make a decision - use or don't use their services.

If its such a problem for people then just uninstall it.

I suppose some did, others didn't. As I mentioned above, it was their choice. As it's people's choice whether or not to use Google's services.

I could very well say this to you: If you're concerned about any Google privacy issues, and if you can't help solving them, then either stop using Google services or keep using it. That's what TrafficLight users did - they either kept using it, or waited until a new version came out, which it eventually did.

As ive said before its a trivial concern when the whole web is full of privacy concerns.Ponder on that and then get back to us with some clarified and constructive ideas.
Regards.

If you believe that it's trivial, then any single privacy issue is a triviality as well, regardless of the source of the privacy issue.

If I or anyone else aren't using any Google services, then any privacy issues coming from Google are trivial, aren't they? Ponder on that and then get back to us with some clarified and constructive ideas.

Would you complain about Linux users not caring about your Windows privacy issues? lol

[AMIGA500]

Originally Posted by m00nbl00d

If you say so.



What Google privacy issue? This thread is about a TL privacy issue that has been fixed, so I'm not sure why you're talking about a Google privacy issue?



Unfortunately, I'm human and just one person, and therefore I cannot find and expose all possible privacy issues. Can I? If I had profit from it, and made it a full time job... who knows... lol



Why put emphasis on other privacy issues, including Google, when this is about one specific privacy issue? If you'd like to discuss about other privacy issues, search the forum and you'll find plenty of them.



And, I am looking at the full picture. And, that was precisely why I monitored TrafficLight to see if any leaks were happening. I decided to report it at Wilders Security Forum, and from that moment on, any person is free to make a decision - keep using it or not use it, until BitDefender solved it. I believe this is what most folks did, while others most certaintly only cared about the security benefit of it, malicious domain protection, and it was in their right to do it so.



And, because you use Google services, I should start investigating about any possible Google privacy issues... just to please you? Sorry, but that will never happen. I only discovered the issue about TL because I wanted to use it myself, and the reported it here, after contacting with BitDefender a month before.

I could very well just talk with BitDefender, and they could do whatever they wanted to do. It happens, they agreed with me. And, then they finally solved it.

Regarding Google issues, I believe you'll find plenty of info on this forum, other forums and all over the web. Maybe do a little research about it? Then act upon the info you find out; or, if you don't find any, then maybe start your own thread about Google privacy issues? Then, based on any new info you get about Google privacy issues, then make a decision - use or don't use their services.



I suppose some did, others didn't. As I mentioned above, it was their choice. As it's people's choice whether or not to use Google's services.

I could very well say this to you: If you're concerned about any Google privacy issues, and if you can't help solving them, then either stop using Google services or keep using it. That's what TrafficLight users did - they either kept using it, or waited until a new version came out, which it eventually did.



If you believe that it's trivial, then any single privacy issue is a triviality as well, regardless of the source of the privacy issue.

If I or anyone else aren't using any Google services, then any privacy issues coming from Google are trivial, aren't they? Ponder on that and then get back to us with some clarified and constructive ideas.

Would you complain about Linux users not caring about your Windows privacy issues? lol

I can see from your strange response that you clearly have not given this much thought.
I clearly said that the TL issue is trivial in regard to larger privacy issues and you even had the nerve to ask "what privacy issues"..Do some research and it will brighten up your thinking on this topic.
I did ask before how long had the disgruntled users been using TL before they decided to uninstall.Had they all not noticed this HTTP problem before or were they in fact in the dark and totally oblivious to its implications and breach of privacy.?
I also wonder if users of google chrome ask themselves if their privacy is in danger.?.
Another question would be what do these people have on their systems which could cause such an uproar and mass uninstall.
If privacy was such a big issue we would never use our computers again as there seems to be a lot of paranoia and suspicion within the general computing community and instead of enjoying our machines we are riddled with mistrust.
Also i noticed you still have no constructive solutions in regard to privacy in general.Have you complained to google inc.?
Of course not as you know full well it will not get anywhere.
Sincerely.

[popcorn]

Originally Posted by Page42

V0.2.1 was released 12 days ago, as posted here.

Hi
forgive my ignorance but has the http/https issue been resolved ?
I would like to reinstall.

Thanx

[m00nbl00d]

Originally Posted by Beethoven1770

[...]If privacy was such a big issue we would never use our computers again as there seems to be a lot of paranoia and suspicion within the general computing community and instead of enjoying our machines we are riddled with mistrust.

And yet, you did mention this in one of your posts: I dont use trafficlight myself so it isnt a concern of mine but i do use google search engine so that maybe a concern..

So, if privacy isn't such a big deal, why are you so concerned about Google? Or, is it simply paranoia?

Also i noticed you still have no constructive solutions in regard to privacy in general.Have you complained to google inc.?

Must I repeat the purpose of this thread? This thread was (it has been fixed) about an issue with TrafficLight; about a very specific issue, and not issues in general. Whether or not you consider it an issue, it's irrelevant, because it's up to the individual user to decide what's relevant to him/her. Not up to you to decide for them/us.

So, if you're concerned about Google privacy issues, then look up this forum for threads about it, or start your own thread to discuss Google privacy issues, if you use their services, rather than hijacking other people's threads, just for the sake of doing it.

You're saying I have no contructive solutions about privacy in general, and yet the only thing you're doing is bashing other users for exposing individual privacy issues. Can you point me/us to any info provided by you, where you expose privacy concerns?

And, if you're concerned about some of Google privacy issues, sometime ago I mentioned an userscript users can use to prevent Google from tracking the URLs you go to, when you use their search engine - GooglePrivacy.

Maybe I did more than you ever did? You seem to only have complaints, but no actual solutions?

[funkydude]

Just wanted to say thanks to m00nbl00d for bringing up this issue. It's good that people are informed of these flaws before they start using a product (especially one that's supposed to increase security) despite what the haters say.

[AMIGA500]

Well its just one of many issues out there.

[Page42]

Originally Posted by m00nbl00d

Maybe I did more than you ever did? You seem to only have complaints, but no actual solutions?

Bingo.

[m00nbl00d]

Originally Posted by Beethoven1770

Well its just one of many issues out there.

And, no one argued against that. You're absolutely right. There are many issues, and if we find them, but don't bring them out to public knowledge, then none of them will be fixed, ever.

Would you agree that blocking trackers is just one of many issues out there? Can you imagine if we were without tools that help us fight it? Thankfully, not everyone thinks like you, and they expose and help fight individual privacy issues.

For instance, there's a great extension for Firefox and Google Chrome, HTTPS Everywhere, that help people have more privacy, by defaulting many websites to their https version. This (http vs https) is just one of many issues, as well. Would we be better off without HTTPS Everywhere, then?

[m00nbl00d]

Just a call of attention.

Apparently, BitDefender did not update Firefox's version of TrafficLight. If you check the URL (-https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/trafficlight/?src=search), you'll see that it shows screenshots of the Google Chrome updated version, but you'll notice that it shows that it was last updated on January 27, 2012.

Just in case, I installed in Firefox, and it's still the old version, so the screenshots posted there do not reflect any actual change, at all. This means that TrafficLight Firefox's versin still sends info over HTTP to BitDefender's servers. This is just a warning to those who are concerned about it, so those who aren't, please refrain from restarting an useless discussion.

Again, to clarify, Google Chrome's version is updated, but not Firefox's version. I wonder why they forgot about it?

[mirimir]

Originally Posted by m00nbl00d

Again, to clarify, Google Chrome's version is updated, but not Firefox's version. I wonder why they forgot about it?

Thanks for the warning

I guess that they're busy Maybe they need reminders.

[m00nbl00d]

Originally Posted by mirimir

Thanks for the warning

I guess that they're busy Maybe they need reminders.

I think it was just a glitch. After all, they did upload the newest screenshots to Mozilla's Addons page. Lets wait and see if they'll remember to actually upload the newest version as well.

On a side note, it seems TrafficLight (all browsers installer) hasn't been updated in a very long time either. I wonder if they could never manage to fix the browsing slowdowns that it caused to users. Too bad.