Myles W › Likes

Wow, I do it today and it looks like you are right. This merits more investigation. - LogEx

It's when you are logged into a google account - log out and the link swapping goes away. And it's on click, so either left or right click prompts it. - alphaxion

Yeah, I just discovered that too. Another reason to do Google searches from a browser that is not logged in. - LogEx

I've always known that. I don't right click on links from google searches anymore, I go to the source and copy the Url from the browser. Can't bother logging out. - Helen Sventitsky

I never noticed it before because I usually do my searches from a freshly opened and cleansed browser. - LogEx

alpha's pointed this out to me, we tried to replicate this on my machine. I'm using an XP Machine, with Spybot S&D, and Scriptblock in Firefox, and this doesn't occur with either IE or FF. I'm wondering if this maybe is something to do with a setting within your Google account? - Myles W

it's prolly a javascript from the look of it rather than a setting on the account. I'd be interested in finding out if it turned up with the roll out of the "social networking features". - alphaxion

and I'm usually logged out, it's just this one time I left myself logged in that I noticed it. - alphaxion

aha.. as myles snooped it out, it's the "web history" feature in your account settings. - alphaxion

But I have web history (permanently) "paused" on all of my accounts. Never did trust that. - LogEx

It doesn't matter if it's "paused", it'll still track it seems, just not 'log' it. You need to remove it going by into your Account settings, go to My products - Edit, and you should have an option to "Remove Web History permanently". I've done it and it doesn't replicate for me.. I tested this with a freshly created Gmail account, and this didn't happen until the "Web History" application was installed.. - Myles W

I always forget this when blogging, same with Google Reader on the iPhone! - Joe Dawson

Myles, nice work! - LogEx

Joe, I have a different solution for GReader. I have a separate account that I ONLY use for GReader, and then delete this account and start over on regular intervals (export OPML, hand edit some changes, then import it into new account). - LogEx

the interesting thing is that I never picked the web history app and rarely log into gmail... so how on earth did it get to be there and find its way into being on? Mind you, the whole "opt out" thing with pausing it just reminds me of the way phorm works. Your traffic still logged and analysed, just you never get the results used against you. - alphaxion

I thought Web History was originally opt-out, but then changed to opt-in. But yes, 'paused" should (in an ideal world) disable the tracking links rather than just not log them (which we assume happens in some opaque way). - LogEx

When was it changed to opt in cause the account in question has only existed since the end of december - alphaxion