Puppy Linux Discussion Forum

tasmod · Posted: Mon 28 Nov 2011, 08:48 Post subject: Ghostery - blocks web tracking

I've been playing with Ghostery.

russoodle · Posted: Mon 28 Nov 2011, 23:38 Post subject:

Thanks Tasmod....looks interesting so i'm giving it a try.

C'mon nooby, it's waiting for you... Wink

8-bit · Joined: 03 Apr 2007 Posts: 3012 Location: Oregon

I discovered Ghostery a little while back and it works great for me.
Also, if one does a mouse over on the icon, you get a list of trackers.
On the forum here, it shows No trackers.

And thank you Tasmod for bringing this great browser plugin to atention.

Lobster · Posted: Tue 29 Nov 2011, 01:00 Post subject:

I have seen this before or something similar. After your recommendation decided to give it a go.
The reason I did not run it previously is because it tracks you.
BUT it gives the option not to be tracked.
Another reason not to use; Ghostery is involved with advertising . . .
. . . however my online gmail account is from the biggest advertising agency in the world - Google

. . . So knowing the above and selecting the right options during the wizard (I decided not to offer feedback). If Ghostery was Open source initiative I might well have done.

Most Puppys have the ad blocker. This too is a good option if you need to use Flash. So I will be using Ghostery for a while.

Is there an Android version?

Doglover · Joined: 24 Jun 2006 Posts: 163

Ghostery is a great plugin, and also I use adblock plus, no script, betterprivacy. All four combined make it pretty invincible.

8-bit · Joined: 03 Apr 2007 Posts: 3012 Location: Oregon

Better Privacy plugin so far is not compatible with SeaMonkey 2.5 though.
I am waiting and hoping since I like it too.

tasmod · Posted: Tue 29 Nov 2011, 05:29 Post subject:

Hmmm, modded and moved. It was a present for nooby, never mind.

Lobster,
Ghostery was taken over. I carefully read the terms etc and they specifically do not track you. They ask if you want to help by being tracked but that's an opt in option. There's a full page mission statement.

Unless they change things then I'm more than happy to use it. The amount of trackers so far that I discovered on the pages I visit is amazing.

By far the worse obviously, google and adsense.

Ghostery is not foolproof but they do listen to feedback on their forum. There's a discussion regarding noscript and adblock and to whether they work first or ghostery.

Regarding cookies, turning them off and selecting 'no tracking' in Firefox doesn't always work. I'm assuming that Firefox may have an interest with Google and others, so don't block fully.

After a couple of posts here and another forum I frequent, I've become extremely aware of tracking. Including the worst, positional tracking !!!

I checked my phone over, it's a Black*** with gps. I found 3 apps I had downloaded had turned on the gps and were tracking me in real time !!!

Then I discovered that the gps wouldn't disable. This was down to a piece of software loaded by one of the apps.

What is surprising is, it was a seemingly harmless app to turn on the video light as a flashlight. It required permission to download which I gave but in doing so it appears Rim allow anything to enter the phone.

Well known on the BB forums.

The other tracker, although latent, is gps placed in photo code. Could be used to find your home or anything else you photograph. So don't take pictures of your mistress boys. Laughing

The problem with all of the above is of course, they are useful at times but dangerous when used by others.

Lobster · Posted: Tue 29 Nov 2011, 06:30 Post subject:

Thanks Tasmod. It seems to work in background and not pop up to tell me how wonderful it is. Which some blockers do - rather defeating the object . . .
So far I am more than happy and thanks for all the info.

I totally understand the phone scare. My phone is not smart. It is a marketing collaboration with Googal (the well known super search engine). When I plug it in to charge, I have to mount it. A mounted device, connected independently of a firewall to the Internet and its commercial vultures. Does not seem safe . . . but safe enough (no mistress pics)

Ghostery seems good Smile

nooby · Joined: 29 Jun 2008 Posts: 9385 Location: SwedenEurope

Surprising that I have not posted in this thread yet?
I post way too often for my own good.

Ghostery I sure did look into it but being me with my lost brain
I thought it was way too steep learning curve for me to go into.

Much appreciated that you made us aware though. I do a bookmark for it.

vovchik · Joined: 23 Oct 2006 Posts: 1230 Location: Ukraine

Dear tasmod,

Hats off for the nice find. I can't believe all the junky trackers around. It works nicely under Linux and also on an old Mac OSX computer that runs Firefox. It doesn't seem to slow down browsing - in fact, by preventing the trackers from loading and sending back information, browsing might actually be faster.

With thanks and kind regards,
vovchik

nooby · Joined: 29 Jun 2008 Posts: 9385 Location: SwedenEurope

You guys are so enthusiastic that I feel ashamed for not trying.
Does it work well if one also have Noscript going at same time?

I guess the Ghostery wants one to accept first or else Noscript
don't show it to them either or does that work in parallel so
them are totally independent of each other?

Burunduk · Joined: 21 Aug 2011 Posts: 52

darkcity · Joined: 23 May 2010 Posts: 2215 Location: near here

Just started using Ghostery, its a great find Cool

8-bit · Joined: 03 Apr 2007 Posts: 3012 Location: Oregon

I have Ghostery, NoScript, and AddBlock+ and I thought I would try checking trackers on a page with both Ghostery and NoScript active.
I had just a few trackers reported by Ghostery.
Then I went to NoScript and selected "Temporarily allow this page".
The number of trackers increased a lot.
So evidently, NoScript also blocks some trackers.

Also, I think Ghostery must block some trackers or maybe all by default.
Because when I check it for the trackers found, they always come up as checked like it is automatically blocking them.

darkcity · Joined: 23 May 2010 Posts: 2215 Location: near here

there is an option in the settings -> advanced to block automatically, but it doesn't seem to work for me.

Also, I've come across a problem on hotmail. If trackers are block no emails can be opened. Is it possible microsoft can detect trackers being blocked?