Technical Tidbits™

Welcome back to Part 3 of the Big Brother Browser series of posts!

If you’ve missed any of the other posts, please click the links for Part 1 and Part 2.

To briefly summarize the previous posts, I’ve shown you how Microsoft has made Internet Explorer 8 look as if it’s a comparable browser to Firefox with its accelerators and privacy. Yet, upon closer examination, we’ve seen that using any of these self-proclaimed wonder tools will create a privacy nightmare for users and benefit Microsoft’s advertisers or their research endeavors.

And further research shows that the privacy and security they are touting, isn’t all that private at all!

There’s more of a rub to this too. I started reviewing the modules that load with IE 8 and found a disturbing note in the description of the new Internet Explorer 8.

You can see where I put the red circle around the word: Longhorn. In case you are not familiar with the code name Longhorn, please see Paul Thurrott’s Blog regarding this.

This reference to Longhorn however, made me a bit suspicious since I’m using Windows XP on my test computer. So, I went off to do further research.

First of all, let me say that quite some time ago I uninstalled SP3 for Windows XP due to the pathetic slow down of my computer and the ten-minute shut down. Under no circumstances will I, at this point, install SP3 again. And after finishing my research, I’m so glad I did!

For more information on the problems with SP3 in Windows XP and the Vista difficulties please read this ComputerWorld article: Microsoft warns of IE8 lock-in with XP SP3. (The sub-heading of the article states: Also notes other problems, including crashing Windows Live Mail.)

What does concern me the most about the Longhorn mention on IE8 is that they are eventually going to stick us with it under the guises of more security and more privacy – all the while making money off our browsing habits, and feeding us suggested sites from their advertisers.

Now, let’s discuss this privacy issue in more detail. I have the information I need to do further research and it’s going to take about a week before I fully understand how and what they’re doing.

But, at first glance, if you turn on the InPrivate browsing and try to view your Temporary Internet Files, you won’t be able to. I think this is how they manipulate the folder so that your cache is not stored there.

But even though I have my setting set to delete my browsing history upon exit, after I closed the browser and reopened it – which takes the InPrivate browsing off – my temporary Internet files were still there. (And please note that they are still there even after I close the browser when NOT using InPrivate browsing.)

So, there is apparently some sort of glitch in this that doesn’t allow even the normal features from IE 7 to work properly.

Now, Microsoft has been touting this big, huge secure browsing garbage with Internet Explorer 8. But after Christian Prickaerts statement in the news, Microsoft responds:

Microsoft’s main goal with InPrivate Browsing is to prevent other users of the same computer to gain access to the browsing history, the company said in an email response. The feature isn’t designed to protect a user’s privacy from security experts and forensic researchers, the company said.

(Source: http://www.fox-it.com/en/news-and-events/news/recent-news/news-article/pc-advisor-ie8-s-privacy-mode-leaks-your-private-data/47)

Okay, makes me want to run right out and get it right?

After all, isn’t that what you REALLY want your browser to do? Don’t you need protection from your meddling wife or husband who thinks porn is evil?  Hackers be damned! I’m more worried that my mommy doesn’t catch me gambling online! I can see it now!

Microsoft’s new commercial with Jerry Seinfeld……

Jerry: Are you constantly annoyed by your wife finding your online gambling account? (Forget the fact that PartyPoker is sitting on your desktop!) Are you worried that at 16 your folks won’t understand your need to surf “girlie” sites? Are you having an online affair and want to cover your tracks? Have no fear! Internet Explorer 8 to the rescue! In exchange for covering your a** with the spouse, family, or boss, you just have to give us your entire surfing behavior patterns. We’ll still continue to allow you to download every vulnerability, exploit, and malcode known to mankind as a bonus!

I could go on but you get the image!

The short version of the rhetoric of BS from Microsoft is that they are trying to sell us another bill of goods that can’t deliver anything more than sending user data back into their already well-lined pockets.

If you are interested in getting the data files I’m working with, (the first one will be the processes list), please sign up to the auto-responder I’ve set up for this purpose. As soon as they are available, I will send you the link or the file itself – if it’s not too big.

But, your best bet is to move to Ubuntu. That’s one of the projects I’m working on now! And yes, we will be teaching others how to do the same thing!

MORE RESOURCES:

For further information about Microsoft’s take on the IE 8 security, see:
http://blogs.msdn.com/ie/archive/2008/08/29/trustworthy-browsing-with-ie8-summary.aspx

For upgrade information regarding the Windows XP and Vista problems mentioned in the post, see:
http://blogs.msdn.com/ie/archive/2008/08/27/upgrading-to-internet-explorer-8-beta-2.aspx
http://blogs.msdn.com/ie/archive/2008/05/05/ie-and-xpsp3.aspx

And a special PS to Erkki (who is not upgrading): Thanks for the correction in the math!

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