Google Analytics --- I Hate Stuff Like This!!!

Check it out for yourself...


http://www.google.com/analytics/


Wouldn't it be fun if when we walken into a grocery store, or library, if they would photograph us, finger print us, weigh us, have us fill out a little questionaire about our personal lives.

Google Analytics is one dozens if not hundreds of nosy, greedy little tools that works in the background without your knowledge or consent. You'd think that your security programs would notify you, but this does not seem to be the case most of the time. If you use Firefox, you might want to check out the no scripts plugin. It points out scripts that are running (like google anayltics). They are so prevelent that you will soon be clicking to allow them or most of the sites you visit will not work. That's fine, I still like it because it's an eye opener, and gives me the option of whether I want to use a website based on the way they are run.

I have to admit, I don't know much about google anayltics and the brave new world they are forging. I assume they want to put themselves in the most posative light possible, though, and if there own web page is the most posative light, I can safely say they suck!

I just happened to read somewhere that Google Analytics was formerly named "Urchin". You gotta love these names!

BTW - People have commented that No Scripts is really a pain in the butt because it blocks everything. That's really not been an issue for me because once you elect to allow this or that script on a website will do so from that point forward. You can also effectively turn in on and off just by right clicking and choosing 'allow scripts globally (dangerous)'. Where it is a pain in the butt is that without the benefit of a heads ups, such as this, you might go into vapor-lock when you see all of these warnings and you think you are being over run. For me, it's mostly just to get a little insight into what's going on. After all, all of these scripts were here all along---I just never knew it!

But I digress, I really just wanted to say I hate stuff like google analytics. If I wanted you to know, I would tell you (if you asked). That pretty much sums up what I think about this.


-HandsOff

 

Ronjor, who made this extension?, not google i hope.

HandsOff is right in this, i use noscript too and everywhere you go you see this irritating little script.
I think if you don't allow it to run by using noscript it can not do his thing, right?
On top of that i block all coockies from google.

Lamehand

 

Humm, i think i'm going to try this one out, looks like something usefull, thanks ronjor.

Lamehand

 

Hi Ron,

What's under the answers and books tab?
I think there is a mistranslation in my language.

Gerard

 

Thank Ron,

Indeed the tabs are wrong in the Dutch language, but when opening it is OK.

Gerard

 

That's a very interesting one Ron, and I will give it a look!

Lamehand - As to the question of will noscript give the same result...you'd think so, but I am not always able to tell why something happens or not on a website. for instance, more than once I have come across websites where the links will not function if you use no script to block g.a.

As usual, how could I know why. is it because of g.a. itself? did the website designer build that into the sight, going beyond the g.a. code itself? are pages screwed up because of the name change? some other thing going on?

BUT, what will be interesting is if I can get a different result by comparing the two different approaches.

I have to laugh at those options though. And the little box is see sometimes that says "you are blocking ads - click here to see a list of advertisers" It's just like I have said for years. If advertizers could be a little less pushy they would probably have a much wider distribution! I really don't get it! If someone beat you with a baseball bat would you be likely to (try to) say, "wow, what'll you take for that bat?" But, obviously, people are doing just that!


-HandsOff

 

I'm surprise the Government has not even charged Google for infringing upon Privacy and not offering an Opt-Out program. Though, I do use Customize Google and works quite well.

 

Well even countries have strengths, and weaknesses. For instance just wait until Google invades Kuwait or seems to be hiding Weapons of Mass Destruction.

Then We'll see how tough Google is!




-HandsOff

 

Well, noscript blocks javascripts, so since this analytics thing from google is javascript it won't work in your browser, at least that's what i see happening.
The same thing happens when you try to click on a link with a script behind it HandsOff, the script won't function because of noscript's blocking action.

But i have cutomizegoogle installed now and that's exactly what the doctor ordered.

Lamehand

 

I have to check it out!

Google could be so much better. More controls is not a bad start. As long as I am dreaming, I would love the ability to blacklist sites so that google does not return them. There are certain sites that just seem designed so that I get them on every search I do...Like Kel koo (sp?) the annoy merchant located in GB. Why would I ever get them, much less get them all the time?

I'm sure we could all name feature we'd like to see, but saying good by to these recurring nightmares would be my number one.

(p.s. my blocking the sites is not the same effect by along shot because The still waste my time and patience because they interfere with more legitimate search results!)


HandsOff

 

A few points.

Dont forget the internet is not private or secure by design.
You will find its not just google tracking visitors but lots of other people

All tracking services, which are on lots and lots of sites, use JS or an image that tracks visitors.
Google gets singled out a lot, but if you dig around you will find lots of people doing similar things, I remember the Yahoo webbug for starters.

Servers can track visitors of hosted domains, without need for images of js.
I know my website logs every visitor - not ip addresses just page visits and a browser sniff.

Any network you travel through can log your activity, your ISP, etc (if they do or not I would not know), but I know in the UK all ISPs keep logs of their users activity... I know at work all my web surfing activity is logged.

I have just got an analytics account. There seems to be no way of getting personal data, you can get browser, OS, visits per day, page visits etc, but you cant get IP adresses.

One final point - atleast we know google do this - there are many advertising companies for example that could well do similar practices with their ad banners, but have not caught the limelight.

Atleast Google have a reputation to protect and less likely to abuse the information they gather than some unknown Joe.

 

On the subject of tracking,sniffing and other unwanted activities, google will get stiff competition from the biggest sniffer around.

From dslreports.com;

http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,16021026~mode=flat

Lamehand

 

Only a few of the sites I visit use Google-analytics. I haven't taken the time to see if they all work the same way or not, but on the ones I frequent, I can deny the connection and the site still works. I'm running Mozilla thru Proxomitron, and whenever I connect to one of the sites that use it, I'm prompted about the domain name mismatch (Google-analytics vs Proxomitron) and I deny the connection. Gets rather annoying at a couple of the sites, forums. I originally tried to block this at the firewall, but it uses the same IP range as their search engine. Need to look into a good Proxomitron filter for this.
While I haven't looked into this to the degree I want to, one thing about the Google-analytics connections concern me. Has anyone else noticed just how persistent these connects are if you're not filtering or otherwise limiting the connection time? I was watching the status screen of Kerio 2.1.5 and couldn't help but notice that the connections to their IP remained long after the page finished loading and remained connected well after I left the page. The regular connections to the page itself drop off the status when it finishes loading, but not the Google connections.
Rick

 

That's an interesting skin Ronjor, where did it come from?

Lbd.

 

Scroogle all the way

Alphalutra1

 

Hi nickr-

I am not sure understand the point you are making about banners. Are you agreeing with me that if advertisers were a little less agressive they would not cause the backlash that today people like me have eliminated the ads pretty much completely. My frenzy against ads came about mostly do to distracting, abnoxious animated or audible or popup advertising. Eliminating them was all I cared about. I could have live with the rest, but that's not how it played out.

Incidentally, I appreciate the info on google anaytics. Can you say unequivically that that is the only data that is looked at? You see the problem, as I see it, isn't that Google-anaytics is bad. The thing I hate about it is that I see it as going behind my back and spying (if that is the right word - it may be a little harsh)

The thing the GA and the whole damn computer seen just can not seem to get a handle on is when they do stuff behind our backs, or try to force us to participate, or force are attention with animation, and all the other tricks the are being abusive. I don't really care what they gather, they are doing behind my back.

You'll probly say, no, the information is available, but that isn't quite right, is it? If I don't know about something, how am I going to know to get the 'freely available information'

And its too bad, because if there was an open honest system that just collects some harmless data, I'd be OK with it. But that just doesn't describe reality on the web.

HandsOff

 

I decided I couldn't let this point go. You can get this information, but you cannot know if it is correct. Apparently not many people do it but you can appear to be using a different browser, ect.

My goal is (purely theoretical) to be either anonymous or false 100% of the time that I am on the web. Unfortunately, I'm not knowledgeable enough to come close to this, and I am quite lazy. However, advertising and spys can and do motivate me to spend the time and effort to negate them.

example: I have BugMeNot, but i'm too lazy to use it! however, I guarantee you the first time some site goes too far I will start using it without exception


HandsOff

 

Wow, I can't believe this. If Microsoft can get away with this, we might as well just admit the Bill Gates is the supreme dictator of the world, and quit prettending that we have any legal rights.

and who shoud I see in the thread but SpannerInThe works, who was kind enough to give some really good advice with regard to Internet Explorer settings. S. was a total IE fanboy! (I only tolerated IE, I swear!)

Now the worm has turned! If you see S. tell him HandsOff thinks his new IE attitude looks good on him!


-HandsOff