[Mycroft] Ad-Supported search plugins: What gives??

[Yop83]

Hi!

First of all, I haven't done any extensive researchs on this issue and so I
apologize in advance if this was discussed before now.

I'm using Firefox under Windows and I use MyCroft to add search engines to my
"search bar".

Being Canadian, I have installed the ebay Canada search plugin ("eBay Canada
(Support MyCroft)" by Charles Caygill). The URL of the file is:
http://mycroft.mozdev.org/install.php/0/ebay-ca.src

But, since the 28/12/05 version (or maybe the one before), this plugin goes
through an online advertisement company BEFORE redirecting you to ebay!

Here's the relevant script part (line 12 of the .src file):
"action="http://www.qksrv.net/click-1885629-8417593?loc=http://search.ebay.ca/search/search.dll""

You can, obviously, easily remove the "qksrv.net/" part and obtain a valid and
functional plugin that goes directly to eBay. But that is not the point!

The point is that this redirection is completely hidden to the end-user unless
he or she:
*Opens the .src file and looks through the code
or
*Sends an empty query through the plugin (hit enter with an empty field).

I did the latter, thinking that I'd land on ebay.ca home page. But NO! I landed
on that web page: http://www.cj.com/qksrv.jsp

It is also quite probable that other more or less popular plugins have been
modified to include redirection...

It is something that will be removed and stricly frowned upon, right?
It's not a way to really "support Mycroft" (as the plugin title seems to
imply), right?

--Gabriel Branchaud



	

	
		
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__________________________________________________________
Lèche-vitrine ou lèche-écran ?
magasinage.yahoo.ca