Google cookies - spying?

andy88_2

I have anti-spyware programs installed that necessitate cookie permission being asked for, rather than automatically given, and they then use this to block the ones on their lists.

This means that I get the dialogue box come up about all sites asking for permission to store a cookie. You can accept or block, and also tick a box to apply the decision to all from this site in future, thus adding to the list.

From time to time when browsing sites that do not have any apparent Google content, including MSE forums on several occasions, a request box about Google cookies comes up, which is rather surprising.

What is much more surprising indeed is what has just happened, which has triggered me to ask the question.

Last night I completely deleted all Temporary Internet Files, including the hidden ones, and the folders, and the index.dat file also hidden there (using the Secure Shredder function in Spybot S&D - drag the index.dat file in, delete, and restart the computer). So there is no cache whatsoever, and no record hidden in the index.dat file of visited sites.

Then I go online just now, and the first thing that happens as the dialup connects my IE6, with about:blank as my homepage (and it is - not some spyware with the alias) is ......... a request by google.com to store a cookie.

How does google do this? And why? Do they need to track my internet usage when I am not using their facilities? None of their business.

Has anybody else had this experience?

Howells

Do you have the Google toolbar? That might explain it.

See [font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]www.google-watch.org about information on Google and their infamous cookie!
[/font]

Edinburghlass_2

Just yesterday I downloaded the Google Earth after seeing it mentioned on Anything Else.

Did a housecall check later in the evening for the first time and it came up with 10 spyware cookies which I then removed, wonder if these are from Google?

I don't have the Google task bar as I use Firefox.

andy88_2

Howells wrote:

Do you have the Google toolbar? That might explain it.

See [font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]www.google-watch.org about information on Google and their infamous cookie!
[/font]

It could, but not when there is no reason to do it. I don't mind if it checks for the latest version when you actually use it, but the rest of the time it's none of their business what I'm doing.

My Firefox has a Google search box top right (and a Google cookie, even though I've never used Google in that browser)

andy88_2

I was talking of IE to start with, but then Firefox was raised. Yes Google is the default search, but I don't see their need to send a cookie request when my page is blank and cache is empty.

TheChillPill

It's also worth noting that Google sends a cookie to you whenever you visit a page with 'Ads by Google' on - it's to prevent click fraud (i.e you could be an owner or a friend of someone that stands to gain from you clicking multiple ads)

sra

I just found something interesting about google and Firefox - though not really related to why you would have cookies -

http://www.tweakguides.com/Firefox_12.html

I was searching to find out how Firefox responded to Windows Prefetching when I read Disable Google Prefetching on that page.

So Firefox users may have cookies and inflated caches for pages they've never even visited!

streetscholar

this is just one step... pretty soon google will be our operating system :j