Google Tool Bar
 

This has prolly been around before...

"Google has decided that they are now going to link advertisements to any word on any webpage that they wish, as long as the user is running the Google toolbar. For example, if I used the word "viagra" in this article, a user surfing this page would find that the word appears underlined with a hotlink like so: viagra Clicking that word would send you to the website of any vendor who had paid Google to advertise based on that word. The profit potential of this gambit entirely depends upon the number of people who have installed the Google toolbar, which at last count numbered in the millions.

For the techies out there, this is conclusive proof that the Google toolbar is capable of performing full http socket intercepts and parsing the datastream. Big brother, anyone?

Whether or not your website is a member of the Adsense program makes no difference- Google is now going to collect ad revenue on every webpage on earth. And they aren't going to pay the website owners anything. Zilch. Nada.

The interesting thing is that Microsoft tried to do the exact same thing some time ago, back when it was called Smart Tags, but was shouted down by privacy groups and web netizens in general. They said it would give Microsoft an almost instant-monopoly of the online ad market. But I guess as long as Google gets that monopoly- it's ok.

All hail our new benevolent dictators Larry and Sergey!"

An incredible reminder that this is going to ruin alot of revenue for some folks.
Are there work arounds? I thought I saw one somewhere...

Anyone?

2nd question couldnt placing/injecting a link on a web page by a 3rd party be regarded as a violation of copyright law without permission by the publisher?

Yeah.

Well don't get too excited, this is all just an 'idea', as far as the public knows, atm.

Just because Google might not have the balls to do it ya can bet there are other Toolbar companies that will.

I think this would be a violation of Copyright though.

1,000,00 toolbars -1, i have enuff junk in my browser window, and the tool serves no real purpose if you ask me

Maybe this is the explanation to the other thread where they cashed in $ 500 million worth of shares in the first three months of the year? They don't want to lose their $ when this is announced? (don't know if that 'article' was true or not - just throwing this in for discussion) :)

It's only a matter of time till a Toolbar company implements this sorta system.

Googles toolbar is for the drama factor, but I can tell ya folks right now thats whats comming next but it won't be Google that does it first.

However if such a technique is implemented I am curious if Copyright Law would hold up or could be applied.

Google toolbar rocks! Uhh..err...maybe not. :winkwink:

toolbars/spyware has been around for ages that do this, nothing new , only that google has stolen yet another idea from spyware companies

What toolbar companies have implemented this so far?

Anyone?

Anyone at all?

I think eZula is a traffic stealer that uses this tactic.

Not to mention Gator... er... Claria, which actually replaced BANNER ads, not just text.

I'm not sure if you're picking nits-- the examples I listed aren't toolbars.

But this is nothing new. Google's possible entry into this scummy arena is the news.

The same ones that re-write all nastydollar urls on a page to other sites or worse right to nastydollars with their own ref code..

I have personally seen lots of se toolbars that simply re-write the url for the top 3 listings. So your seeing the real yahoo , not just a copy of it. The top 3 links are changed to their own search engine.

Personally I'm using some 3rd-party plug-in for FireFox which allows to see Google PR, Alexa Rank, and has a lot for other useful things such as Indexed Pages tracking and Backward Links tracking at Google, Yahho and MSN as well as easy-to-use access to WHOIS and Archive.org for the opened page.

FireFox RULEZ!!!

I wonder why no Law suits have been filed to test and see if Copyright Violations can be applied.

Are you fucking retarded? It's already implemented in the beta. Just not all advertisers have access to it.

Google is turning into a piece of shit monopoly

Fuck Larry and Sergey

I hope google is not this stupid.
TBH I dont see this happening.