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

I have User Agent Switcher installed in firefox, it allows you to choose between a couple of browsers.
The chosen one will be represented in the browserheader, so even if i use firefox i can make it look as if i'm using IE6 for example.
It doesn't work on every site, it depends on what methode is used to sniff the browserheader, but it's something.

Lamehand

 

Interesting, Lamehand-


I don't even really care except for one thing. Once the percentage of facts that spies gather goes above a certain percentage, all of the data becomes worthless. If you think in terms of winning this spying battle completely this is just about the only thing that even has a chance of working that does not require more and more resources.

It don't say that it will ever happen, but I would rather work towards a complete victory than commit the rest of my life to try to fight things that I'll never have the tools to do. Anyway it just feels right to give them garbage. I've mentioned this before, and of course i don't know if it would work, and I'm pretty sure it would never be tackled by an actual software vender, but i'd like to see a little program that runs in the back ground constantly swapping tracking cookies with other random users of the program and then sort of jumble the contents in a way that it would be difficult to verify if a tracking info was real or created. the idea being not to block, but to poison the data.


-HandsOff

 

That's exactly what i'm trying to do, poisining the data that is send out from the browser.The only thing that's missing, like you mentioned, is the capabillity to re-write cookies, not just to keep or reject them but to change the information stored in them.

Lamehand

 

Well, it's a very raw idea, because I don't know a thing about cookies.

Still, it does seem to me that all you would really need to change would be the part that identifies you, then you could be all over the net at once.

and there are a lot of little things that add up. Very early on, I realized that for answering annoying little questions you get stuck answering sometimes, it would be fun to invent a few people and be consistent...with the fake identities. So, it cracked me up when I started getting post office junk mail being addressed to my alter ego's. I think my brother did the smartest thing, though. His main alter ego is a prestigious lawyer specializing in consumer law and class action suits, and no one messes with him!


- HandsOff


For a change of pace here is some tangable info. it is the link to the customizegoogle extension mentioned earlier in the thread:

https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/743/

 

Pointing out that there are others who track users, not just google

I mostly agree, its not just the advertisers though, its the webmasters who CHOOSE to put the ads on their website that are to blame.
Its the webmasters that are also responsible for picking companies who use the really bad/annoying adverts and in IMHO this can actually turn visitors away from sites rather than keep them.

Blocking ad banners takes important revenue away from websites.
I ran a big website for 4 years, had to be put on load balancing it was so popular for a while, that required adverts to support it as it was a 100% free project.

We chose to use a sponsorship system, instead of using generic ad banners, Sponsors were chosen by hand to meet criteria of being useful to the community, offer value for money on their products to the community (eg specials offers or discounts in carefully placed spots on the forum and the website, they were always 100% relevant with the content.

If people put more thought into how to generate revenue then there is more chance visitors are going to use the advertisers because they provide some use, some vetting of the quality of the advertiser and you have 100% control of the adverts and make sure they are not annoying.

Just remember that there is many a decent site out there that needs the advertising to keep running.
But I agree with you on blocking bad adverts, I block various bad advertising companies myself and stop any popup type ones as well.

I have only had the account for 3 days, but yet to have seen any ip addresses whilst playing around.

Yup I agree with you, all our websites I do at work have a privacy policy which states exactly what information is collected on visitors. Sadly, many sites dont (the ones that do give a privacy policy tend to be the ones not to worry about) and by the time you've visited, it can be too late.

 

The advertisers are making the same stupid mistakes as they did with commercials on television and now their whining about the fact that everybody is zapping away if those irritating things come on.I don't even want to start about what it did to the quality of the programs presented between these commercials.

And nowadays we have the internet; 'aha! a new oppertunity to misuse, abuse and bother everybody with our crap, and with more technical possibilty's aswell, it's great'.

And we as users are still "zapping" away, because nobody want's to be treated like a dairy-cow.

I think at least their 'business-model' is a bit flawed.

Lamehand

 

Well, being familiar with your ramblings I am actually inclined to believe you, but to be honest when I see a privacy policy link I just say to myself:

- How do I now if they abide by this policy?
- What happens to them if they don't?
- Who Would know?
- Who is going to enforce it?
- What is the penalty even if they do get caught?

What I'm saying is, I really don't care what someone says is their policy. Everything should be above board and checkable by me, or I don't care.

As to banners (those things that move across the screen), Flashing letters, and so on. [in response to ....blocking ad banners takes important revenue away...] I do not agree even 1% Those are annoying and rude, and if people block them and deprive websites of revenue there is your reason. It's not because we block them, it's because they deserve to be blocked! Those things get people angry. They get me angry. [between you and me I get annoyed by annimated avatars, unless they are pretty subtle- Why? Well, because every now and then I am trying to choose what I am thinking about instead having stuff flung at me that is hard to ignore] If I want to look at the body of the site that I came to---that's my choice. Advertiser could afford to be heavy handed in the old days, i suppose, but less so now.

By the way, I've often wondered if the logic is this. People that hate these kinds of ads are stingy anyways, so who cares if we get them mad?

...nah, that's to easy to disprove by my own vast empire of shallow useless espensive junk...

I've got it, we are the kind of people who are going to actually research what product is the best. God, they must hate us!


-HandsOff