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The search bypass nanotorrent.com


aletornw

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I'm concerned about privacy when searching in utorrent. All the searchs you do are made bypass nanotorrent.com. Try adding an inexistent search to the list and you'll see...

Example: Searching "Lost" in http://test.test

http://nanotorrent.com/search.php?q=lost&e=http%3a%2f%2ftest%2etest%2f

The redirection is made fast so you don't know it.

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Your IP has been traced. We know who you are. Expect a DDoS attack shortly. mad8yb.png

:P

But seriously, if you're so concerned about your privacy, maybe you shouldn't be on the Internet at all. :/ I mean, what are you so concerned about? Do you have detailed nuclear plans on your PC? :lol:

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I can confirm that on all searches over here - not just a "fake" search, but nanotorrent.com is a domain owned by ludde, the author of the software. If you trust ludde (by executing his code on your PC), you should trust nanotorrent.com.

That said, I'll ask him why exactly this happens.. :/

The exact URL:

http://nanotorrent.com/search.php?q=SEARCH&e=URL

SEARCH = exact query you typed in, with spaces in escaped hex (%20), NOT plusses?

URL = exact URL you entered in the Search Engines box, hexified.

Maybe ludde is using it to convert spaces in text to plusses or something, 'cos that's what most search engines require... Hmmm...

edit: No, that's not it: stay tuned for the official response..

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There's no data collected, it's just used to display ads for certain keywords (sex-related words, try searching for the word porn to see it, though that's not the only word that matches). The rest are passed through normally. In either case, no data is actually collected.

It was used as a domain instead of being integrated into the client so the ad thing could be turned off later easily if the response to it was negative. Also, it may be used in the future to provide a "search all sites" feature.

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Most likely, use something like frames to display all the sites.

Search for the word "porn" in the search box (there's a few other sex-related words that'll trigger it too), and you should see some ads in a top frame. Only those few terms trigger it, the rest don't see anything. If the response to ads on these terms is negative, then it'll most likely be switched off.

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  • 1 month later...
I can confirm that on all searches over here - not just a "fake" search, but nanotorrent.com is a domain owned by ludde, the author of the software. If you trust ludde (by executing his code on your PC), you should trust nanotorrent.com.

Technically redirecting user searches through a remote server in order to do something with those search terms, whether it's to inject a frame to forcefeed revenue generating ad's or generate tables of search engine popularity or term popularity without announcing it in advance and giving the option to disable it is a spyware/adware antic.

Trusting a person enough to run their code is always a balanced risk assesment, I do not trust uTorrent code to execute unchecked it's virus / trojan scanned, all connections it makes are under scrutiny and any unjustified unauthorised traffic like intercepting search terms and user defined search engine data as covertly as possible, given the technology, is further than I extend my trust. Just as certain suspicious peer activities result in their connections being terminated until they go away or they get themselves banned.

If revenue stream seeking is the reason for it so far... it's only a matter of time before other more invasive data collection revenue streams seem justifiable once the technology is in place amongst all the userbase to collect search terms.

I'll just cease using the toolbar search and add nanotorrent.com to my hosts file to block it just incase I ever get lazey. It's a simple matter to knock up some search bookmarklets to add to a browser and do the job without the potential for 3rd party data collection.

If ludde wishes to impliment a macro torrent search facility using his remote server to frame the returned results and perform the individual requests then all he has to do is impliment the macro search facility to use the same search URL convention that the normal engines use and add it in to the list of available torrent searches.

If I wanted to search just one place then I select one place and that's what I want. If I want to macro search then I'd want to have to select that engine and not have it forced on me because someone else thought it would be a neato idea.

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  • 4 weeks later...
Also, it may be used in the future to provide a "search all sites" feature.

If/when this happens, please let allow for an explicit opt-out option in the client. There are tons of private trackers that would rather not be aggregated into a list and thus visible in this "search all sites" bit.

Edit: \/\/: What are you talking about? That has nothing to do with this.

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"There are tons of private trackers that would rather not be aggregated into a list"

If they have a "world usable" search function who cares?

If you do a search one site per click after the other or seach "tons of" (private) trackers by one click there is no difference if this "world readable" seach function is implemeted in a "more than one search at a time" or not.

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I must admit, redirecting the searches through a luddes server without telling us is an extremly nasty thing ! I really dislike it. Nobody needs to know what i am searching for, not ludde, and CERTAINLY not the ad-providers !!!

PS: i'll never use that search box again, and will remove the custom searches i added there (that include some private sites) ASAP, just in case someone else on my PC uses it.

Edit: Just a side note, i consider it very close to something that i would consider a spyware.

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Firon, the fact is - i dont care if ludde takes a look on those logs and knows what i search for, personally. Yet i really do dislike the fact of the information i consider semi-private being collected and/or being passed to the third party in any way.

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Firon, the redirect is used to make that data available to lude so he could use it to target a third party advertiser in some way. And nobody tells the user anything about it. It doesnt really matter if there are logs or not, or if it is actually used today or it's just something reserved for the future.

BTW, i am going to the 10 days vacation, leaving to the airport in a few minutes, hence, sorry for not responding on any future messages. And btw, i keep the ut running, so as you can see i still do trust ludde. Firon, whatever you say, that redirect is NASTY. Just look at it with a user's eyes.

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