Google is now tracking your MSE activity

fermi

The scripts are used on every vBulletin forum and are part of this:

http://yuilibrary.com/

They are required for a vBulletin forum to work properly IIRC, so you can't just do away with or block them an expect things to work?

The scripts come with every single copy of Vbulletin forum software, so there is nothing unusual or sinister about them.

Site administrators can however choose where they are loaded from in order to save on bandwidth/server load.

Here is a screenshot from a typical Vbulletin AdminCP showing those options.



Google are not monitoring or recording your posts.

They are just an alternative host for some open source script files the forum uses to function, and that can be loaded via Google/Yahoo to save the server load here.

Consumerist

fermi wrote: »

Google are not monitoring or recording your posts. . . They are just an alternative host for some open source script files the forum uses to function, and that can be loaded via Google/Yahoo to save the server load here.

Thanks for that fermi. Google's spying habit just makes me very suspicious of anything to do with them. I must admit that internet technology is not really my strong point - as you may have gathered.

HoofeHearted

I normally disable googleapis with noscript. I now have to allow it in order to send PMs. Not happy, I can tell you.

This change has only happened in the last couple of days.

Consumerist

HoofeHearted wrote: »

I normally disable googleapis with noscript. I now have to allow it in order to send PMs. Not happy, I can tell you. This change has only happened in the last couple of days.

Same here. The problem started for me on 27 July.

Don't think I'll be posting much more on MSE but still a useful read though.

viscachaz

Ghostery (addon for firefox) blocks any kind of tracking.. at the moment on this page, it shows "Chartbeat" and "Google analyitics".. worth a try if you don't want to be traced, but still want posts to show.

Consumerist

viscachaz wrote: »

Ghostery (addon for firefox) blocks any kind of tracking.. at the moment on this page, it shows "Chartbeat" and "Google analyitics".. worth a try if you don't want to be traced, but still want posts to show.

I use the NoScript add-on which also shows googleapis but if I block it, I can't post. It would seem, from what you say, that your add-on doesn't pick up the googleapis link to the scripts. Just guessing though.

All I really know is that I need to temporarily allow scripts to run from googleapis.com if I want a post to get through.

Chris4

Consumerist wrote: »

I have noticed today that you are no longer able to post on this site without being tracked by Google. :eek

GoogleAPIs.com provides extra functionality to a website (such as adding a jQuery library), NOT for tracking.

• API, an abbreviation of application program interface, is a set of routines, protocols, and tools for building software applications. A good API makes it easier to develop a program by providing all the building blocks.
• jQuery is a cross-browser JavaScript library designed to simplify the client-side scripting of HTML.

This would explain why it doesn't come up as an option on Ghostery, a web tracking blocker. NoScript on the other hand blocks ALL scripts on the page, including the ones which websites use to make the website work.

Consumerist wrote: »

I use the NoScript add-on which also shows googleapis but if I block it, I can't post. It would seem, from what you say, that your add-on doesn't pick up the googleapis link to the scripts. Just guessing though.

All I really know is that I need to temporarily allow scripts to run from googleapis.com if I want a post to get through.

I would highly recommend against using NoScript. Using it for 24hrs was enough to make me go crazy, websites do not function with it. Why is it necessary to block every single script when you have browser extensions which block just the ones that are tracking you (i.e. Ghostery)?

So yes, MSE uses GoogleAPIs.com to provide functionality for the website and as a result of blocking it, the website won't work. Just because it's Google doesn't mean everything they do is for tracking purposes.

Consumerist

Chris4 wrote: »

I would highly recommend against using NoScript. Using it for 24hrs was enough to make me go crazy, websites do not function with it. Why is it necessary to block every single script when you have browser extensions which block just the ones that are tracking you (i.e. Ghostery)? . . .

I, on the other hand, thoroughly recommend NoScript in Firefox which protects you from many of the nasty tricks websites can use to thwart antivirus software. I agree, however, that the first time you visit a site can be a little irritating until you discover what is needed for the site to function - usually only a process of elimination. I wouldn't dream of going online without it now I've got used to it.

Consumerist

Chris4 wrote: »

Just because it's Google doesn't mean everything they do is for tracking purposes.

Trouble is, you don't know, and they wont tell you, when they are doing what.

On that basis, I think I'll try to give them a miss whenever I can.

Chris4

Consumerist wrote: »

I, on the other hand, thoroughly recommend NoScript in Firefox which protects you from many of the nasty tricks websites can use to thwart antivirus software. I agree, however, that the first time you visit a site can be a little irritating until you discover what is needed for the site to function - usually only a process of elimination. I wouldn't dream of going online without it now I've got used to it.

NoScript requires too much input. Everything is blocked by default and you then have to allow each website one-by-one, to the point where web browsing is no longer enjoyable. It makes people worry too much. It ruins the joy of web browsing and, from a web developers point of view, makes websites unusable. The only situation I could see it may be valid is for people who aren't very savvy and unsure of how to protect themselves, but for experienced users it's simply not be needed. Anti-virus and security software is there for a reason.

Consumerist wrote: »

Trouble is, you don't know, and they wont tell you, when they are doing what.

Sure you do, you can read the exact piece of code that's running. For example, viewing the source of this very page tells me the following GoogleAPIs.com scripts are running: yahoo-dom-event.js and connection-min.js; the former is "typically used to build dynamic forms" and the latter "used to establish the Ajax connections" URL="http://forums.buyscripts.in/template-modifications/4249-yahoo-dom-event-javascript-connection-min-javascript-what-do-exsactly.html"]source[/URL (i.e. not tracking).

These scripts could easily be downloaded and hosted from the MSE website itself (e.g. moneysavingexpert.com/scripts/connection-min.js) and doing so probably wouldn't have caused anyone to have a concern, however I'd imagine linking them from GoogleAPIs.com allows MSE to always use the latest version.