[plug] Google web search sanitiser

[Nick Bannon]

On Sun, Oct 21, 2012 at 06:34:53PM +0800, Brad Campbell wrote:
> I'm getting increasingly frustrated by the way google wraps its
> search results in a tracking url. I've found several useful Firefox
> plugins which fix that on my desktops, but I want to go a step
> further.

Sounds like I should check that out. Tell us if you find a better
solution!

[...]
> I started with the idea of the old "upside down ternet" and looked
> from there, but I've not really found anything other than a lot of
> people complaining about the problem.
> 
> Anyone anyone?

Well, I might as well chime in with a complaint about the problem.
<smile>

Simple Google search results used to use a tracking URL _occasionally_,
random sampling to get some idea of when otherwise anonymous users chose
a particular outgoing search result. At some recent stage they turned
it on pervasively.

Meaning that one can't simply copy and paste a working URL out of
a search result anymore. It adds extra lag to every click on such a
result, perhaps over a slow UMTS link. I can't believe it improves the
results they got from occasional sampling that much. It's not even a
HTTP redirect, it replaces a simple static link with a JavaScript HTML
file that does the redirect. (!)

<script>window.googleJavaScriptRedirect=1</script><script>var
f={};f.navigateTo=function(b,a,g){if(b!=a&&b.google){if(b.google.r){b.google.r=0;b.location.href=g;a.location.replace("about:blank");}}else{a.location.replace(g);}};f.navigateTo(window.parent,window,"http://razzed.com/2009/02/12/analysis-of-google-outbound-link-tracking/");
</script><noscript><META http-equiv="refresh"
content="0;URL='http://razzed.com/2009/02/12/analysis-of-google-outbound-link-tracking/'"></noscript>

Madness.

Nick.

-- 
   Nick Bannon   | "I made this letter longer than usual because
nick-sig at rcpt.to | I lack the time to make it shorter." - Pascal