i am hesitant to use online scanners directly from websites or any software program directly from a website online. My question is if it makes a difference for privacy if you use a program from you computer that you downloaded or if you use a program online directly from a site?
These "online scanners" actually run on your system. Or how do you think they can send your GBs of data to their server in such a short time? Usually these are Java applets, the code gets loaded from the website but is executed by the Java runtime on your PC. I don't like these kind of software. Java is a security risk on its own and shouldn't be installed on general desktop systems. Also I prefer downloading software to my disk, run a hashcheck on it load that into Virustotal. I don't trust random websites running random code on my computer and even if the site is not so random who knows if their website got hacked or if someone is MITM'ing me. (not to mention, if you are one of the bad guys it's easier to hide your nasties from AVs and researchers in such applet than a downloadable exe file)
i had a feeling it didnt make a difference if you used a online program directly from a site or downloaded and installed it but couldnt find information to know. I agree with you about java but it seem's impossible to surf the net without java unless you want to be really limited surfing the net no?
Ye? I don't know of any really essential thing that uses Java nowadays. + I've been browsing for more than 4 months without Sun Java SE installed and its absence made no difference at all.
i only have java 6 update? after checking on my computer im willing to try using the net without it to see how it's like. I also have adobe flash player but im certain i will need that and i have a couple microsoft visuals c++ and i think ill need those too