4 responses to “Google’s cookie runaround in IE? Not a big deal”

1. 

   rc primak February 22nd, 2012 at 01:21

   First, this is a big deal. Consumers who thought we were being protected are in fact not being protected. Someone certainly shoud be taken behind the woodshed for this betrayal of explicitly stated trust. And “someone” is Microsoft.

   Second, if Google’s subversion of browser privacy controls is “no big deal”, then why do folks still flock to plugins and utilities from Abine and others, which do the job that the online “Do Not Track” list has uttterly failed to do? Some of us know not totrust Microsoft, advertisers, Google, Apple, or the Federal Government to safeguard our privacy. We employ third-party guardians instead. And we still sometimes find our trust betrayed.

   It is all well and good to exhort people to “do no evil”, but where money is involved, no one is immune to corruption. Everyone has his or her price. And the price of freedom is eternal vigilance.

2. 

   ax kramer February 22nd, 2012 at 03:24

   Not a big deal? It is a big deal for me. No one else should have the right to track me and use (abuse) my identity,interests and activities for their own commercial interests wiithout my consent.

   Remember, they are doing this because they can profit at my expense. Any of these trackers should first reveal that they want to track me and ask for my OK in a legally acceptable form… probably in writing. It won’t happen until public outcry forces the issue.

   Woody, please help the outcry rather than letting Microsoft off the hook as it were. I wonder if the next thing to be revealed is that politicians are using the same dirty tricks?

3. 

   rc primak February 23rd, 2012 at 15:26

   @Ax –

   If using Firefox, Ghostery shows and can be used to block nearly any tracker.

   If using Chrome, Abine’s ChromeBlock gives nearly the same protection, even from Google’s own trackers.

   If using IE, Abine has a plugin which works just about as well as the other two above.

   And yes, it is a big deal.

4. 

   rc primak February 23rd, 2012 at 15:27

   Of course, the above does not cover Windows 8 IE10 Metro. That combo leaves us hanging out to dry.