Peter Lairo wrote:
>
> It seems that Mozilla now contains code that copies each url you visit
> into a OS readable textfile that can then be read by anyone on the
> internet (particulary Media Matrix).
This is crap. It means it can be read by any software ON YOUR MACHINE.
The textfield isn't exposed to anyone on the internet, unless you
install their software.
> This seems to mean that anyone
> could know exactly which sites you are visiting. If this doesn't scare
> you, i don't know what will. It scares the crap out of me.
The software (Media metrix) is made available so people who *want* to
help track website marketshare can do so. You aren't forced to install
it, and it doesn't come with either Netscape or Mozilla. If you choose
to install Media Metrix, you will be tracked in every known browser (at
LEAST including 4.x and IE).
> Allthough many OS's are easy to spy on, that is no excuse for making it
> even easier by putting spyware into Mozilla.
No. The spyware is an application that you download separately. It can
track ANY application. If we removed this textfield, all they'd do is
change it to read history.dat instead or something. It can be argued
that we shouldn't be making it artificially easy, but anyone who argues
for native widgets in Mozilla (JTK?) is automatically asking for this
bug NOT to be fixed ever.
> If you agree, please visit the bug that is trying to get the spy code
> out of Mozilla and into the Nestscape tree (aparently Netscape/AO-HELL
> doesn't care about people spying on us, but i intend to always use
> Mozilla anyways).
>
> VOTE HERE:
>
> Bug 71270 - <shaver> "Netscape spyware should be in commercial tree"
> http://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=71270
Just note that voting for this bug means voting against Mozilla *ever*
using native widgets or chrome.
This is not a "special native textfield that's set to be readable by
other apps". ANY app that uses native textfields can be "spied" on by
this method - that includes IE, opera, mosaic, every previous netscape,
and K-meleon.
I found all of this information out by doing a radical thing called
"reading the bug". Sheesh.
Stuart.
