Mozilla's Collusion Firefox Add-On Turns Tables on Online Spies

Is Collusion tracking you to see how you're being tracked?

 

I don't understand the question.

 

Collusion's privacy policy says that it collects information from sites that you visit, but leaves the data on your machine. But in -http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/collusion/, there's this:

It's not clear to me what "your data" comprises. Reading that, it sounds more like tracking information than just information about tracking. That is, it sounds like Collusion is replicating how you're tracked based on the cookies and whatnot left on your machine. Maybe you can't have one without the other.

 

Okay, what I think they'll take, with consent, is the "export graphics" stuff. Ghostery asks consent for something similar. Now whether Collusion or Ghostery or anyone else will actually restrict themselves to taking what they say they'll take is a matter of speculation. I don't know how to monitor even now what exactly is being taken by those at the other end.

They could certainly be more specific than: "Your data can be part of the larger story. When we launch the full version of Collusion, it will allow you to opt-in to sharing your anonymous data in a global database of web tracker data. We’ll combine all that information and make it available to help researchers, journalists, and others analyze and explain how data is tracked on the web. "

In case you missed it, there's been quite a discussion about Mozilla, its users, data collection, and privacy in the context of improving browser performance (http://groups.google.com/group/mozilla.dev.planning/browse_thread/thread/eaae24bd14c0728c#).

 

Especially when you see it graphically displayed as in Collusion.

I have been a bit concerned about tracking cookies for quite a while now. Of course, most of them are 'harmless', but I just don't like the idea of being tracked all over the Internet. One of the reasons I like SUPERAntiSpyware is that I can remove tracking & flash cookies, something MBAM doesn't do.

Cheers, I'll have a look at that.

 

Has anyone played with the Trusted front-ends option and with playing sounds for when cookies are set?

 

IMO, this add-on is less than half-baked. Mozilla has done a better job of publicizing it than ensuring that it works properly. There's not much real documentation either although the creator is quite verbose about it.

 

Response:

 

I believe that the correct term is experimental.

 

It's a really great idea. It's the first add-on that I think really has potential for fine-grained privacy controls and ones that users can actually understand.

 

Indeed. The prospect of an interactive GUI is very intriguing.

 

Yes, I'm still quite impressed with it, even at this inchoate stage. I'm looking forward to future developments.

 

Yes, even an idiot like me can understand it!