Well fuck me
Google objects to content scrapping?
Scroogle, the privacy-friendly Google scraper, has been crippled by changes to one of the dominant search engine's interface pages. The unheralded alterations to google.com/ie yesterday could mean Scroogle has to be "permanently retired", its operator Daniel Brandt wrote. "Over the next few days we will attempt to contact …
the interface is nice, I like the privacy settings and the results (for just a small sample of searches I ran) look ok... but why, oh why, in the name of Cthulhu does it need javascript to work? It's probably th only search engine I've seen that doesn't work over NoScript.
Well, at least including it in Mozilla's search bar bypasses that issue, but still...
Bad example - as your name is on the list - and the number that is written on the voting ballot is added to the list next to your name as you are handed it - then no - your vote is NOT private.....
It is not strictly public either - as in the whole world cannot see who you voted for - but the information could probably used in the future.
You must live in a strange country. :-)
Where I live (Denmark) it works like this: One person verifies your ID (typically drivers licence) before taking your voting card (sent to you previously by snail mail) and putting a mark on the list next to your name. Another person, sitting next to the first person, hands you a voting ballot. Noone writes anything down about who gets which ballot.
Are you sure it's trackable where you are? Most modern countries seem to use an anonymous system.
Number next to name on ballot - no id.
No name on ballot - no id.
Vote can be traced if someone has both the ballot slips and the list (key) - you are protected from ballot box stuffing, as votes are auditable if required.
Its an absolute necessity that the vote is both private and auditable.*
*Or it was until postal voting introduced the possiblity of large scale un-auditable fraud into the electoral system.
It may be that there is more going on here behind the scenes... As more and more people use this, there is bound to be reciprocation from Google. After all, this is revenue (but only potentially. But huge companies seem to thrive off these virtual, potential dollars).
I would not put past Google to have a blocker for IP or if a session cookie was not in place that gets pulled down going to the main search page.
It may also be that Scroogle is just tired of keeping up or keeping the project going.
And then there is the always popular option of legal threats, etc.
...why http://www.google.com/m/ might be no good to them:
"P.S. Many thanks for all the support emails. A word to those who are emailing us with links to simplified Google pages with just the initial search entry box on them: Sorry, but this doesn't help us. It's the simplicity of the pages with search results that matter. Scroogle uses it's own gateway pages, but we parse out the links from Google's results page before we pass them back to you.
See the "sample" link in the second paragraph of this page, where you have to mouse-over each link to see the snippet. Results like this were not too difficult to parse. More importantly, they were stable. The query to Google that produced results like this is illustrated by the URL behind the "Next" link at the bottom of that sample (which no longer works, obviously). The parameters in URLs like that could be manipulated for language selection and number of results per page, just like for all Google searches.
Whether Google cares to restore this simple interface is a question of fundamental corporate policy. Frankly, we've always felt that we'd reach this point with Google sooner or later"
(from: http://www.scroogle.org/cgi-bin/nbbw.cgi )
Arse! :(
Scroggle wrote an interface that depended on screen scraping. Screen scraping is the kludgeyest of data transfer methods, easily broken with very little in the way of error tolerance. It is the method of last resort. No-one using it has any right to expect it to remain stable and functional for any length of time, never mind 8 years.
Sorry, but I myself have written a screen scraper that's ran for a few years now. It is a kludge, it can break on a whim of the developer of the page being scraped, however, with proper maintainence, it is VERY easy to keep up. 3 minutes of analyzing reveals this:
http://www.google.com/search?q=jobs&hl=en&start=0&sa=N
hl=en is the language,
start=0 is the page to view results. So, the "next" button can be set very easily. As for results per page, simply run two or more queries (and assume 10 results per page view) and compile them together.
Shame Scroogle removed their "open" source. Any by chance have a link to their project page perhaps?
TrackMeNot hasn't caused me any difficulties in using Google, nor any other search engine. I never got the "automated queries" error even when running it on nearly every computer in my home.
What Google really hasn't liked is my Tor exit node. And that's just fine with me.
Yes, I do believe we commenters need an evil Google icon (and if there's room, maybe a "good Google" icon for the times they do something right (i.e. not the sea of changes that have washed over all of Youtube over the past year)).
I spend with my debit card, my bank knows where I've been and what I buy. I order things to my address, dozens of companies know where I live and what I buy. My car number plate is logged all over the country at petrol stations, my phone company knows where I've been and who I've called. My search provider knows what I search for.
Big fucking deal. It's not like anyone real actually looks at this information; it's really used for targeting ads. And get this - it means that when I do see adverts they're actually useful! Sometimes it's even allowed me to find a great deal on an item. Which my bank knows I bought.
50 years ago, my Grandad's butcher used to know his favourite type of sausages...
People should have the right to privacy even if they choose not to use it. You can shop with nothing but cash, use public transport and a pay as you go phone if you so choose. Each of these is an equivalent service even if it is less convenient.
Your right that nobody looks at the data, that is until you are suspected of something. At which point they start misconstruing all your data.
The trouble with many of the anti-Google brigade is that they assume that what happens on the net is private. It is not. The Internet is a public place and should be treated as such.
How many times have we seen the Internet likened to a city centre when it comes to allowing children unfettered access? "You wouldn't let your child wander round the red light district so why let them on the net unsupervised?" Well it's the same for adults too.
If you decide to wander into Ann Summers etc you have to accept that people will see you. Browse to a particular web site and be prepared for that to be available too. Whether anyone cares is of course another matter
So if you want privacy take responsibility for it - use encryption, anonymizers, proxies etc.
If your just an average person going about their life like everyone else and have nothing to worry about, then fine, bollox to your privacy!
However, if you are conscious of security or a little worried about information that "may" be being stored about you then you also have the right to that privacy that was ignored by others.
It all boils down to personal choice. But give us the right to choose!
"It's not like anyone real actually looks at this information"... Not yet. Not unitl you are labled a possible terrorist for attending a political rally, or dont like globalization, or are an activist, environmentalist, tea party member... not yet. Any right you thought you have are slowly being eroded away. Every mention of the word terrorism and they come up with new and creative ways to take away your liberties. Applauded by the lap dog media, it sickens me to see a once great nation built on god given rights to its citizens is constantly under attack from within.
http://www.inteldaily.com/2010/05/obamas-shredding-the-constitution/
"I spend with my debit card, my bank knows where I've been and what I buy." - I spend with cash and money orders.
"I order things to my address, dozens of companies know where I live and what I buy." - I buy COD, or money order and order in a different name.
"My car number plate is logged all over the country at petrol stations," - My car is registered to a corporation.
"my phone company knows where I've been and who I've called." - I use VOIP, on a VPN.
"50 years ago, my Grandad's butcher used to know his favourite type of sausages" - Now google knows what your sexual preferences are by search results. Thanks to your favorite google cookies.
http://www.scroogle.org/doctorow.html
"It's rather moot anyway, your ISP will keep and track your interactions with scroogle and most of the other stuff (like your search results not being manipulated)"
Not if you use the SSL version of scroogle. They know you're going to Scroogle, obviously, but not what you're searching for, not the results therein (of course, they get to see where you click on, shortly after, but you can't have everything (unless you use TOR or a VPN ;) )