I am stunned they have done this. Whatever next?

Slimey toads.

is the simple answer, the browser dosen't show a UA with toolbar ...

best stick with the javascript

DaveN

anyone who doesn't run off includes is going to have a lot of work to add that

If it were opt in then I wouldn't have a problem (I can think of some sites where clients would actually like the address thing, or would do it if they were ppc)

> I can't see anything on the server side (user agent), anyone know how to detect it at the server?

The toolbar is not interacting with your server - it's all done client side, so you'll never be able to detect it there :)

once a toolbar is installed on a client system the toolbar has control over that PC ... end of story..

the link is placed in the browser cache so to speak so you can't even trap exit traffic... just like gator and all the scumware out there

DaveN

Wow! This has come a long way since my original comment.

>once a toolbar is installed on a client system the toolbar has control over that PC ... end of story

Maybe we need to develop a (what would be called) Spyware program that installs itself via java/activeX and that inteferes with the Toolbar. What would be the legality of something like that? Would the antispyware lobby concede that this isn't malware but a legitimate protection device?

Even better, could they be persuaded that they need to add the Google toolbar to their malware database - like Alexa?

much more impressive than the other one (for starters it only works if someone presses the button).

It is amazing how people aren't really getting this isn't it? Google have a duty to shareholders to make profits. This is so easy to make profits with. The chances of them not using it to make profits are very low indeed.

>aren't really getting this isn't it?

I'm seeing more mass-denial than just not getting it ....more like, "Yeah, if it was anybody ELSE it'd be scumware, but this is Google so it's going to be fine."

I like RC's analogy. Funnily enough Chamberlain was still Prime Minister at the outbreak of war. In his outbreak of war speech to the British Parliament he said

Its not WW2, but G do appear to want to plunge the world into misery to serve their own ambitions.

Glad to see a workaround has been created so quickly. Super stuff :)

He he, signing up to be able to post was certainly worth it :-)

Thanks to Chris and Gurtie. Expect some links to SG in due course.

Some of the auto links are still rewritten

http://www.wolf-howl.com/autolink-test.html

I'll take Chris' stirling work and carry the mantle into making it deliverable server side with a little tweak here and there to make deployment slightly simpler for most.

DaveN and I spent a fair bit of time on the phone and IM playing around with the toolbar and doing some basic analysis of it. We came up with some very naughty thoughts indeed.

Thanks Google for making us think outside of the box :D

I must say though that Chris saved me a challenge and a half as I was thinking of undertaking a javascript rewrite on any anchor tags that went to the horrible tbproxy URL. I hadn't even noticed (Sometimes, you can't see the wood for the trees) that each of them had a nice handy ID that could be used!!

P.S. Gurtie, Could you ask Chris to give me a call as emails seem to be missing him? - Thanks:)

Yes, or you can just link in to http://www.searchguild.com/autoblink.js if you want to save yourself having to update every time I tweak something.

Yeh, I do. I'm just feeling guilty about the amount of times you've had to copy it :)

is it possible for Google to detect people using this script and remove them from the Goog index? or am i just too paranoid? ;)

It's definately possible but I also think it is unlikely they'll act upon it.

Having said that I thought it unlikely Google would ever launch something like Auto Link

It works if you move it to a remote file, you could put the file in an isolated directory and block it in your robots.txt

I've got some to spare various places....

disconcerting that GG can so quickly throw the blanket on our fire of something great like the link tool but can't find the corporate wherewithal to interact with us on this issue.

Why on earth would GG get involved in this discussion. He dosn't come around because he loves us but because it's part of a corprate strategy and as such make a fine judgement in NOT taking part of this discussion. Why should he? What do you possibly expect he could say that would make you happy? ... "Yes, we will drop those evil links" Nahh, if Google announce that it won't be here. Get real, please :)

Okay. Tweaked and tested. Consider that the final version.

Chris, could Google override this down the line? And if so, I assume further changes could go back at it? And is there a home describing the code at Search Guild I can point at. I'll mention this thread here, but I think it would be useful if the script had a proper home page of its own everyone could point at, as well.

I'll point to this thread no matter what (for my story out tomorrow), but I do think it would be good if the page had a proper home. I suspect there may be some updates. It would be nice to have a page with some clear instructions for newbies coming in and wanting to use the script. You've got some good stuff at the top, but it's always nice to really have things s-p-e-l-l-e-d out.

By the way, the script isn't working on my end. Maybe just me, dunno. But my toolbar is working a bit differently than it did when I first installed, making me wonder if I've been somehow updated. I'm 3.0.119.6-big/end. Everyone else like that?

I suppose this is one of those times. There's not enough trackback in this thread to emphasise the importance of this whole palaver. Rather than start new threads or blog posts on it, I shall just keep it all in here.

The Big Zeldman on AutoLink, and in response to the ordeal, Phil Ringalda on protecting your browser from anti-autolink js. The latter is basically stupid, but it is an argument against the code, so I'm avoiding being bias ;o)

Agreed, Gurtie and I'll set up a proper page/place for it.

Final work being done on a server side solution in both Perl and PHP as we speak.

I've also been thinking that with enough of us working together we can use similar principles to defeat the changes (I don't think it will work on all) other types of SpyWare inflict.

PHP site wide answer
and
Perl site wide answer

Thanks for undertaking the asp and asp.net Chris :)

We are detecting it based on object ID and what I would love to see happening is working with others, especially Andrew Clover in detecting scumware and putting stuff back to how the website owner intended prior to it being altered via the scumware.

I know it won't work on every piece of scumware out there but if we can get the majority!!

I'll be working on this at a newly regged domain (I won't plug it here) and am looking to those with lots of spare research time to joing me on the project :)

TW doesn't let me posted examples. However if you keep the js in an external file then making it work sitewide on a scripted site is as simple as writing out the javascript to link to the external script (i.e. print or echo it). One line in practically any language.

It's probably as easy to include the JS as it is the php/asp/whatever but converting the asp.net to a server control now and the classic asp version of the autolink killer is here unless Jason or Nick want to host it
http://www.realworldasp.net/article.asp?article=162

top tip : never bet :) i lost £3 on this project ;)

DaveN

And I am very happy to take your hard earnt cash Dave! Please hold onto tight to those 3 shiny sovereigns, I'll pick them up from you at Stansted if we don't get together before :)

"We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills. We shall never surrender,"

and don't forget the little spoken about whisper that was said to a colleague whilst rapturous applause was all you could hear in the House of Commons, "And we’ll fight them with the butt ends of broken beer bottles because that’s bloody well all we’ve got!"

Hi

I have done some testing in Denmark in library databases - it's seems like if you use SSL it's disable Google's AutoLink feature on ISBN
I have some screendumps here with examples
http://www.ae35-unit.dk/plugin/googletoolbarssl.html (sorry for my english on that page)
Maybe some of you also could do testing with SSL, to see if this is also a 100 % good solution

cheers
Soren

While I agree with Chris that ASP.NET offers better solutions, I nonetheless took this as an exercise to create an ASP.NET server control. ASP.NET developers seem to like having things packaged up as server controls.

Here is the link to the page introducing the control:
AutoBlink : Free ASP.NET server control

Here is a direct link to the downloadable zip, so that you may include it in your list of Server Side Solutions:
http://www.edition3.com/files/AutoBlink.zip

Time Magazine have picked the story up and say

and on the subject of feedback there's now an online petition which you may like to sign.

Webmasters should clearly add to the terms of use of their websites a legal deterrent, explaining to Google or any other company, what webmasters would consider abuse of their website, around the following lines for example...

"You, or a third party who has software installed on your computer, may not modify the materials of this Site in any way whatsoever, may not in any way add or modify outbound hyperlinks, or modify or add any code or any functionality to the pages or to the content of this Site."

rg. They work in different ways. I'll look into it and get back to you ASAP , possibly with version2 if there is a bug :)