Stop Netscape 6 from sending info to Alexa

While doing research on another issue, found this information on how to stop Netscape 6 from sending information on your HD, to the spyware, Alexa!

How do I stop Netscape 6 from sending my data to alexa.com?

If you've installed Netscape 6.x and have AdAware or any other spyware removal, I would advise running that program.

Ramona

EDIT
I should add, that this is not new information.

 

I personally don't think the What's Related is serious at all.

For What's Related to work, the browser has to send basic information, that is the URL, back to Netscape (or third party).

The What's Related has been developed since Netscape 4.5 (and implemented in NS4.06), and it is added to MSIE.

So far as I know, as long as you don't have the What's Related tag open, there is no information about your surfing sending back to Netscape or third party.

For privacy and security concern, what we have to worry is Microsoft. MSIE is secrectly logging all your surfings and e-mails even if you delete the temp files. For more information, http://sillydog.org/mshidden.html

 

Hi Antony,

So far as I know, as long as you don't have the What's Related tag open, there is no information about your surfing sending back to Netscape or third party.

Yes, this is what the above mentioned article explains. As you stated, perhaps it isn't "serious ", or as serious as the MS exploits. However, I demand the right to determine what is installed on my PC. This isn't something to be determined by anyone but me. I feel very strongly about the right to privacy, not just for myself, but everyone.

Honestly, I'm not trying trying to "kill the messger ", and I realize that you share my concerns. This kind of practice just gets my dander up....

Ramona

 

Ramona,
Basically, I agree with you, however, perhaps I shall say that there are other methods to protect our privacy without turning off What's Related feature completely.

Personally I like the What's Related feature, it provides quite a lot of useful information. Because the What's Related data is taken from Alexa, and the related sites are mostly taken from the database from DMOZ.org.

There are many ways to protect your privacy, and I don't feel it is necessary to turn off What's Related feature completely. You can change the settings:
Automatically load What's Related information to Never. Tells Communicator to request the What's Related list only when you click the What's Related button.

The What's Related FAQ:
http://home.netscape.com/escapes/related/faq.html

It is very hard to protect your privacy in the internet. For the simplest example, FBI is able to find out what websites you've been visited and been read, not from your computer, but from your ISP directly.

I am not saying that steps (as in the article) are not important at all. However I believe they are not necessary for most users.

Relax a bit, we can't stop FBI (or even someone working in your ISP) but we can do something to protect ourselves, and not getting ourselves inconvinence.
Oblivious, if you don't use What's Related feature at all, that article is a good way to protect your privacy.
It is a good article to bring up our concerns.

 

Hi Antony,

Yes, we are on the same page. I do feel it's important to keep the information out there, so people can then make their own decisions for privacy and security.

Cheers!

Ramona

 

Hi Ramona...

Want some extra company for a bit? I'm arranging for some spare time from the other board to help get this forum up and running properly again... I'll need to study your bookmarks etc for a few days though to get all caught up on Netscape 6.x.

One of my PowerBooks is out for servicing... when that one gets back I'll load NS6 on it and doing some testing and playing... granted it's a Mac, but a lot of the things are still similar anyway...

 

Hey Partner!

It would be great to have you around!

Lots going on with Netscape 6 and Mozilla. Mozilla0.9.8 is due out any day now, and I'm waiting to see if any improvements have been made to the Mail.

See ya'

Ramona

 

Sounds like I'd better study up on NS6 and get it loaded... I have heard mixed reviews on the email side of it myself.

I wonder too about the personal toolbar... someone I know can't get shortened names for the url's on it to stick... as soon as he quits the browser, next time he starts it the names are all reverted to long versions again. Anyone here noticed that?

Of course we all like to keep them as short as possible so as to fit more of them on the toolbar.

 

Personal toolbar in NS6? Are you talking about the "Home | MyNetscape | Search ... "?
Couldn't you rename it? As the way you do with Bookmarks OR use the context click.

 

Yes, you can rename the folder:

From Netscape 6.2.1 Help:
Designating a Bookmark Folder as Your Personal Toolbar Folder

1. Open the Bookmarks menu and choose Manage Bookmarks.
2. Select the bookmark folder whose items you want to appear on the toolbar.
3. From the View menu, choose Set as Personal Toolbar Folder.

I use Bookmark Priest to manage my Bookmarks for the different browsers I have installed. No problems at all renaming Personal Toolbar Folder titles/names. You do have to close Netscape and restart, for your changes to take effect.

 

Back to topic: Stop Netscape 6 from sending info to Alexa

Hello all,

Just recently I noticed that in Netscape 6.xx there are some secrect connections to
info.netscape.com
and
www-rl.netscape.com

(Those are definitely not the URLs I surf.)

Those connections are triggered everytime I connect to a new website, by either typing in URL or using Bookmarks.

This behavour can be disabled by diabling SmartBrowsing and removing What's Related from your My Sidebar Tabs.

Please note that the connection to info.netscape.com I believe is designed for smart browsing, however it connects regardless I typed in phrases (e.g. "Norton AntiVirus ") or URL address. I don't have any information about what Netscape is using those information for.

Just to share those information.