Is the Google Toolbar Spyware?
This evening I was doing my regular reading and came across this older blog post suggesting that the Google toolbar is actually a great piece of spy-ware for Google to snoop on Search Engine Optimizers!
The idea being that most people install the toolbar in order to easily see the PageRank of a website they are on. Many SEO’s do this - not the average person! OK, I guess we can lump webmasters and maybe developers into this group too. But, because of the PageRank, I agree that a good proportion of them would be SEO’s.
What a better way to see where on the web search engine optimizers are going, which sites they are using, where they are buying links from, etc.
I’ve never used the Google Toolbar in my life, and I have no plan to do so. Google sees too much of what we do on-line as it stands and I don’t want to give them too much more. Now that you know this you may want to read the entire post - you just may decide to uninstall your Google Toolbar.
October 20th, 2007 at 10:29 pm
They already know too much about us, you are right about it. Its scary to see the list of google service i currently use!
October 21st, 2007 at 2:14 am
I couldn’t agree more. I won’t use the Google Toolbar because of how much information it can potentially give them.
October 21st, 2007 at 6:32 am
Well, that doesn’t mean it’s spyware. Even Yahoo and MSN have toolbars. Plus, Google can track pretty much everything you’re doing on the internet anyways…
October 21st, 2007 at 6:43 am
i use the google tool bar. i don´t know if it spys at all. hope not to much. but hey google knows anyway where i surf.
October 23rd, 2007 at 8:59 am
Interesting, I’ve never really considered that. I try not to let the Google Fool bar, influence me.
October 23rd, 2007 at 9:04 am
i think google know too much about us already
they dont need spying with toolbar
October 23rd, 2007 at 11:22 am
um holy cow! I never even thought about it like this haha..kinda scary as I do use the google toolbar…good thing I havent been buying links, but just the thought they are tracking me might make me reconsider using it…(not paranoid just being realistic).
October 23rd, 2007 at 11:36 am
The Google Fool Bar - what a great new name for it!
October 23rd, 2007 at 8:29 pm
I have experienced similar results with the google toolbar. It has slowed down my computer somewhat and in other areas which is of concern. “The google fool bar” is a great name for it ckata. Great article.
October 24th, 2007 at 3:22 am
Is there any other tool bar which have same facilities like google have?
October 24th, 2007 at 3:26 am
Google is like a god in this field. I do not think so that he need need spying with toolbar.
October 24th, 2007 at 3:29 am
From an SEO perspective we use SEO For Firefox which gives you access to a pages PR with a right mouse click. It’s not a toolbar though.
We also use the Web Developer plugin v. 1.1.4 which allows you to turn off images, or show alt text, etc…
Not perfect replacements but good tools regardless.
October 24th, 2007 at 8:27 am
the same concerns would apply to anyone using google analytics or even adsense… a lot of people have these, and the value of the data they provide is immense…
October 24th, 2007 at 10:11 am
I agree to a certain degree. Dave N. also felt this way about Google Analytics, but he since has changed his opinion.
I’m OK with the analytics bit, but not necessary the sites I visit in doing my work.
October 25th, 2007 at 1:18 pm
Interesting thoughts everyone. The bottom line is that people use the toolbar because so many other people care about PageRank or incorporate it into their decisions or evaluations of web pages. If there were (and there may well be in the future) fewer people who buy into PageRank / value PageRank, then fewer people would use the toolbar to begin with. It’s pretty much a catch 22. Oh well.
November 4th, 2007 at 6:46 pm
It is a scary thought, but it would not surprise me. Google wants to know everything about anything, but I fear they do not know where to draw the privacy line. Hopefully this is not true, but I may just uninstall the plugin just in case.
November 4th, 2007 at 7:10 pm
Having that kind of data is very, very, tempting! Given the recent rants about Gmail scanning mail on it’s way out for SPAM I would not be surprised if they were looking into this data too!
November 7th, 2007 at 12:43 am
Of course they can see where you are going, but in return you get a useful toolbar. I think it is a fair trade. They will tell you though that you are a number, not a member - and that the data is anonymized.
November 7th, 2007 at 4:02 am
The fear that I have is that there is a love-hate relationship between SEO’s and the search engines. With data like this about me they can easily see where I am going and that I am an SEO. They can also figure out who my clients are what tools and services we use for our trade. If they wanted to they could use that information against us and our clients.
November 9th, 2007 at 5:39 pm
Interesting idea! I had never thought of that as being a way Google sees who is doing SEO or not but it’s a valid point. I don’t care about PageRank myself but I know other webmasters still do so I have to keep an eye on it. Great thoughts and suggestions (”the Google Fool Bar”), LOL!
November 10th, 2007 at 5:45 am
Maybe they are not using it that way, but who knows!
November 13th, 2007 at 6:08 pm
I never thought of this before, but you made a good point. I will definitely uninstall my tool bar. If what you said is true, then the pr of websites and the search engine position, may be caused from different things than we had previously thought.
Thanks,
Kyle
November 13th, 2007 at 6:37 pm
You’re welcome!