Since it goes straight to your destination,
Google cannot store data on your behavior.
I think this is a very cool idea and does provide some level of privacy, but it shouldn't be overstated. Google still has your search history (arguably more sensitive than the actual search result clicked), and in many cases can back into your click behavior via Google Analytics/Adsense code which is embedded on many, many sites (unless you're scrubbing referrer data as well).1) Search something on google.com (for example: unc)
2) Mouseover on a link shows actual address (for instance, http://www.unc.edu); clicking on the link goes directly to page.
3) Right click, copy link location. Paste that link:
- Expected result: http://www.unc.edu
- My example result: http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&ct=res&.... (clipped for brevity)
4) Mouseover on same link or click on it.
- Expected result: http://www.unc.edu (as before)
- My result: http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&ct=res&.... (etc)
If it helps, I'm running FF 3.5.6 on Win7; I can try on Linux and OSX later tonight if that would be useful.
p.s. -- add some contact info to your profile; I'd prefer to email directly rather than pollute this thread with bug reports.
If so, advertisers will be pleased, Google will be pissed.
If this were true and Microsoft made that a default feature on IE, what would happen? Assume that Google does not find a way around the issue (like I said, magic unicorn fantast land scenario).
A lawsuit? Microsoft would be altering Google pages without consent from Google and presumably without the consent of the user.
It's not too different from this: what if IE changed Google search results themselves?
Just like adblock, I believe that if you don't like something, don't use it. Don't hack it around into something else and just leech the stuff you want. That's hypocritical and dishonest.
Does it just take you to the 'display url'? If so, it's also pretty pointless - most people can type.
And the "most people can type" comment is silly. Why have links at all then? Let's just type everything.
Silly thing is, people spend all this time+effort, when your ISP knows everything you do anyway. Do you trust your ISP?