WoT sells your browser history

[MidnightCowboy]

Originally Posted by Sope

Possible alternatives may be BitDefender Traffic Light (depending on your standpoint, privacy may also be an issue with this one) or Webutation (looks abandoned though)

I tried TrafficLight for a while but found it slowed browsing too much for what it was worth.

I think the best starting point is changing to a secure DNS service. Users researching to choose a free service however should read the small print carefully because some only provide partial protection against say identity theft or phishing and not necessarily against malicious sites in general.

The Dr. Web Anti-Virus Link Checker addon is also a useful tool.

https://chrome.google.com/webstore/d...ijcmbonb?hl=en
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/fir...er/?src=search

[George.J]

For what its worth, there is nothing similar to WOT, and weighing the pro's and con's, the Pro's definitely outsells the Con's. Their extension will be back on the web browser store's once they modify the code and makes the necessary changes. Till then, you can choose to use or not to use it.

[torres-no-tan-magnifico]

Originally Posted by George.J

For what its worth....

Shouldn't that be: For WOT it's worth?!

[MidnightCowboy]

My "dead" WOT add-on re-enabled itself on Chrome yesterday and is now back in the Chrome store.

[deya]

Re-installed WOT to Opera from the Chrome Store, WOT is still not listed in the Opera add-ons pages so had to go that route. Anyway, once installed I checked the new settings in WOT for the opt in, opt out data sharing options. Easy enough to find in the settings and accompanied by an updated privacy policy, which is here;

https://www.mywot.com/en/privacy/privacy_policy

Anyone using WOT should read it, and from that draw your own conclusions as to whether you use/trust the extension.

As for the opt out rights; If you choose to opt out of real time protection then, according to the privacy policy, no more data will be collected or shared. But opting out of real time protection renders the extension virtually useless, it pretty much disables it. The toolbar icon is greyed out, no blocking red rated sites and there are no WOT icons in search results. All you are left with is the ability to click the toolbar icon and open the WOT ratings page for the site you've landed on.

Bottom line, to me, is if you don't agree to having your data collected and shared by opting out of real time protection then you may as well not have the WOT extension installed at all.

Just thought this was something that should be pointed out.

[Sope]

Originally Posted by deya

Just thought this was something that should be pointed out.

Indeed.. I wonder how many users would bother to read the privacy policy.

Well at least you don't need to read far before you get to this paragraph...

By installing any WOT Products and/or using any of the WOT Services, you consent to our collection, storage, use and sharing of your Personal Information and Non-Personal Information in accordance with the terms of this Privacy Policy. IF YOU DO NOT ACCEPT THE TERM OF THIS PRIVACY POLICY, PLEASE DO NOT ACCESS OR USE THE WOT PRODUCTS OR WOT SERVICES.

[Burn-IT]

We're worse than the people we are supposedly protecting you against???

[EldonW]

Originally Posted by deya

As for the opt out rights; If you choose to opt out of real time protection then, according to the privacy policy, no more data will be collected or shared. But opting out of real time protection renders the extension virtually useless, it pretty much disables it. The toolbar icon is greyed out, no blocking red rated sites and there are no WOT icons in search results. All you are left with is the ability to click the toolbar icon and open the WOT ratings page for the site you've landed on.

Bottom line, to me, is if you don't agree to having your data collected and shared by opting out of real time protection then you may as well not have the WOT extension installed at all.

Just thought this was something that should be pointed out.

Thank you!
And the understandably unhappy ones are fighting back.

[deya]

Every picture tells a story. Looks like the people who run WOT have lost credibility in the eyes of many people who used the service. It's the way they were caught out, I think, that's angered so many. But in reality, it has to be said, they are doing no more than many other tech companies in regards to harvesting and selling data - they just weren't as up front about it in the first place, or as clever.

Truth be told, there just isn't anything else at the moment that gives the kind of service that WOT provides, for now at least. So it comes down to users to make up their own minds as to whether they're happy enough to go without the extra layer of security that WOT provides.

Principles? .... they say that a principled life can be a lonely and expensive one. Depends which way you look at it but as far as WOT is concerned I'm sure many users are sticking to theirs now.

I'll state here, for the record, that I have it installed in Opera with real time protection enabled, even though you cannot get it from the official Opera extensions pages. And it still seems a bit strange to me that only the Chrome Store has re-instated the extension, it's still not listed in the Firefox add-ons either. Maybe some future collusion between Chrome (Google) and WOT? ... who knows? But something's got to change because WOT must now be losing a ton of revenue. Maybe it'll become a subscription service? WOT have stated that announcements and changes are on the way soon;

https://www.mywot.com/en/blog/were-back

So we'll have to wait and see.

In the eyes of many, because I use Windows 10, I've already sold my soul to the devil so what does it matter if WOT are collecting data from me? ... even though it does annoy me, I'm not one to cut off my nose just to spite my face, as the saying goes. I've long since understood that my principles can be swayed, if required, and I don't think the same about some things as I did in the past. It's a cruel world - nothing much is really free.

The people at WOT have made their bed and now they'll have to lay in it. I have no sympathy for them whatsoever. But I still think the concept of their service is a good one so my principles are out the window - until something identical or better comes along.

[Remah]

My privacy horse bolted a long time ago and there is no easy way to get it back into the stable. So my privacy is less of a priority to me than my online safety. That's why I keep using WOT.

Now, with their latest improvements, WOT provides me with more privacy than before so I'm glad they were exposed.