Google Toolbar
| Google Toolbar
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|---|---|
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| Basic data
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| developer | Google Inc. ( more ) |
| Current version | 7.5.8231.2252 (December 5, 2016) |
| operating system | Windows |
| category | Toolbar |
| License | Freeware |
| German speaking | Yes |
| google.de/toolbar | |
The Google Toolbar is a web browser extension from the US company Google Inc. It is now offered exclusively for the Internet Explorer web browser .
history
The software has been available since 2000. It was also temporarily available for the Mozilla Firefox web browser .
Functions
The functions include web search , i.e. calling up the Google search page. The search field is always available. With the Goggel search service, the search is carried out using other Google search services, e.g. B. Google Images Search or Google Scholar . The pop-up blocker , if activated by the user, prevents the automatic opening of browser windows, which are mostly undesirable. With the site search the current website can be searched for a desired term. The page info gives information about the current page (including related pages; pages that link to this page and the cache snapshots ). To highlight the search words with which you came to this page via Google, each word is displayed in its own color. A spelling correction is to be used in separate form fields and a word translation helps with the translation of individual words on the page. With " SideWiki " (formerly "SearchWiki") it is possible to comment publicly on any website. The evaluable comments can only be seen by those who use the tool. However, "SideWiki" is not a "Wiki" in the strict sense of the word because you cannot edit the comments. Another problem is that there is no option for website operators to opt out. In Germany, Google could be liable for the content of illegal comments in the context of general liability for interference in Internet forums. Google “Sidewiki” was discontinued on December 5th, 2011. With the web log , users with a Google account can use the toolbar to record all visited pages in their web log. The toolbar then sends the URLs of the pages called up to Google, where they are saved in a history. The pages visited so far can then be searched via the Internet service and statistics on Internet behavior can be viewed.
criticism
The "AutoLink" function, which has since been removed, automatically linked special content on websites with Google's own offers and thus changed their content for the user of the toolbar without consulting the creator of the page. It was also criticized that the toolbar for the extended functions PageRank and Sidewiki sends addresses and other website information to Google at the time of the visit.
With the many services that Google now offers, the user has to think about what Google learns when they use these services. It must be remembered that if you have a Google account and are logged in, a lot of seemingly harmless information (such as advertisements clicked on) could be merged, which allows meaningful conclusions to be drawn about the individual user.
Since most of the functions of the toolbar can now also be implemented differently, the initial meaning is no longer given today. Some functions, such as the search field, are now available as standard in all popular web browsers, so that one function is available twice after installation. The display of the PageRank of a website in the toolbar, mentioned by many users, can now also be determined differently.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Get the best of Google anywhere on the web. Retrieved August 12, 2016 .
- ↑ Sidewiki is discontinued ( Memento from October 18, 2013 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ "New Google toolbar has come under massive criticism" ( Memento from November 1, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Toolbar Help ( Memento from April 8, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ What does Google (theoretically) know about you? at datenschutzbeauftragter-online.de, accessed on May 20, 2018.