Google ranked 'worst' on privacy

Yea i recently had to remove several Google spyware from my system.

I wouldn't mind knowing what other companies use spyware so i can avoid their products?

Ok i got stung when i tried to use Kaaza a few years ago, but that is all i know of so far?

yeah, I'm somewhat saddened by google's use of our informations.

One should note that the group that rated google the lowests, also rated a number of popular sights, including, yahoo, facebook, myspace, ebay, last fm, BBC, microsoft, etc for thier study. None got the highest rating.

I think I'm more saddened that so many sites that alot of us probably use for thing or another are so poor in the way the protect our information. Its very discouraging.

An abstract of the report can be found HERE There is also a link in the document that displays every company's rating and and brief synopsis - I'm still reading them.

Its Just sad. Really

Well protecting information is one thing, but putting hidden code on peoples systems is what i am up in arms about!

Basically if i use a product, i wan't to know what i am getting. If there are going to be querky processors showing up in windows task manager when i am not currently using the product then it is going to be somthing i do not want on my computer!!!

YCk! I hear ya! How do I get this cursed tool bar off of my status bar?

I don't know what some of you are referring to on Google ... I haven't had anything similar to what you all experience ... but then I just use it as my home page/search engine.

Tempting to crack a macabre joke here ... you let msworlddominationxx do it on your pc for years without getting upset, why pick on the googlit all of a sudden? Hm? Isn't it a bit late to be closing the barn door after the barn burned down?

See Tyranny of Evil Empire thread here for some cool funny stuff  

P.S. - not the empire i'm in, just funny as hell (please excuse the pun).

You can uninstall the yahoo tool bar using the standard 'add remove programs' option in controll panel.



I dunno, perhaps Yahoo only attack you with spyware if you do not use their homepage?

ElWhopO, try using a program called 'hyjack this' and it will list all the things attached to your internet. It listed about 5 Yahoo nicknacks which i promptly deleted.

I don't use any add-on toolbars, just for the fact most are riddled with both spyware as well as bugs. The Google thing doesn't surprise me at all. It was known since they started that users were compromising their privacy using Google. Casual users ignorant of that fact is what made Google so successful.
Yahoo toolbar actually had a glitch for a long while that would crash browsers. Not sure if they fixed it,since I learned my lesson years ago. I don't even like being stuck with must have add-ons like flash player and such, but you can't live totally in a cocoon if you want to browse the net.

Speaking of add ons, My wife got sucked in the other day,,,, she was browsing the internet with her new laptop pc with windows vista. She tried to open a website that requested active x components to be installed,,, next thing she knows the computer reboots itself and internet explorer is totally R.I.P upon reload.

Took two days to extract the trojans she had been tricked into installing!

Personally, if i ever try to open a website that requires active x or whatever to be installed, you know what i do? Yep, dump it and go to the next website, simple!

Knowledge is always good. if you still stick your head up your arse then ok.

I wont say you should use anything i suggested, but i wouldn't use Google either if i were you.

If in doubt do a search on Google for "privacy abuse google" your master will tell you all about it.

I give up, Marcus

I too am confused as to the spyware complaints. I use Google for email, searching, and my homepage and have had absolutely no spyware problems (according to Adaware SE, Hijackthis, and Spybot anyway). I don't have a toolbar of any sort installed, because I don't really see the point.

Now as to record keeping, I have no problem believing that. I'm sure Google would tell you it was in the interests of improving their search algorithm, but it is a bit off putting. It is, ultimately, somewhat telling that NO company examined had a "privacy friendly" rating. Does that mean they're all privacy poor or that the organization doing the study was unrealistic in its expectations? I don't know, but both options seem worth considering.

As to alternative search engines, I'm a big fan of wisenut.com. It gives different results than Google (including some that Google never seems to provide) and works quite well IMO.

you got a point, everyones spying on us so why are google different.
i give up.

everything you ever ask for is on a database. everything.
Doesn't that bother you, or are you one of these idiots that says.
"if you haven't done anything wrong, why are you worried" if so then I'd like to search your house while your out, Is that ok?
Or have you got a privacy problem with a stranger poking through your life?

Well?

Marcus.

If Google wasn't selling all our personal details to everyone then they wouldn't be one of the biggest companies in the world.

where do you think they get all that money from?
selling popcorn at frat parties.