Thai Visa And Google Tool Bar

[spacebass]

I note when using Thai Visa a lot of 'google analytical' down in the left hand corner of my firefox browser.

I know that google tracks surfing habits and goodness know what else by means of its 'Desk top search tool' that allows it to put lots of its programmes on your computer and update them at will, possibly not for your benefit. I have removed this desktop search as I believe Google is seriously invading users privacy for its commercial ends.

The US government has today asked Google to provide it with analytical data of the surfing habits of its users, Big brother has stepped into the picture and upped the anti, in an already very unsatisfactory privacy situation.

Will a technically proficient member of the administrators please spell out whether the presence Google search bar on Thai visa is giving Google unfettered access to board members surfing habits with the ability to programme their computers remotely. i.e. set cookies and the like without the knowledge of board members on their computers.

If this is the case should board members be offerred a device which will enable them not to pass their personal information to Google or others automatically and without their express consent.

Thank You.

Edited January 20, 2006 by spacebass

[Tywais]

The US government has today asked Google to provide it with analytical data of the surfing habits of its users, Big brother has stepped into the picture and upped the anti, in an already very unsatisfactory privacy situation.

Also Yahoo! and AOL have been supoened by the US government and have complied with the request, however Google has refused to give them any information which suggests to me that they are concerned about individuals privacy more so then the other two.

[Maestro]

I note when using Thai Visa a lot of 'google analytical' down in the left hand corner of my firefox browser.

I know that google tracks surfing habits and goodness know what else by means of its 'Desk top search tool' that allows it to put lots of its programmes on your computer and update them at will, possibly not for your benefit. I have removed this desktop search as I believe Google is seriously invading users privacy for its commercial ends.

When I recently reported a link to a fraudulent advertisement on a Thaivisa page to a moderator I was advised to report my observation to Google and that he, the moderator, was not able to see the same link on his computer.

I gather, therefore, that Google owns or operates the engine that drives the forum and that Google inserts advertising links that are specific to the user’s geographical location and perhaps also to his surfing habits. I just hope that Thaivisa gets some revenue from this advertising.

---------------

Maestro

[Tywais]

When I recently reported a link to a fraudulent advertisement on a Thaivisa page to a moderator I was advised to report my observation to Google and that he, the moderator, was not able to see the same link on his computer.

This is because Google randomizes the ads on the pages but keeps them in the category the page context is predominant in.

[george]

The ads are sometimes geo-targetted. Depends on how the advertiser sets up his ad campaign.

[francois]

hi'

all these "search bar" and so on, from wherever they are from are loaded with tracer, if you like this, use them

francois

ps; tracer and cookie tracer are considered as spyware

Edited January 20, 2006 by francois

[phuketsiam]

google analytics is javascript inserted into the web page to give web stats to the sites owner, i don't use google toolbar and I still see the 'google analytical', so its not related to the toolbar. The stats its provides includes country/city of the users PC