Update: As of this morning 8/23, the WOT addon and the privacy policy have been updated to address my concerns. The new version should no longer send identifying cookies to api.mywot.com (untested yet) and the presence of the Google Analytics code has been documented. While I still believe the Surfcanyon features should be opt-in, I have rerated Privacy green. My original complaint is below.
(Why is there no Privacy Concerns category?)
Rated Orange for Privacy because the Firefox toolbar by default sends in plaintext any google search terms to a third party (Surfcanyon). The privacy policy glosses over this as "api calls" without mentioning that these calls are nonencrypted. The privacy policy talks alot about its encryption and how secure the addon is.
<green>I have been told that these can be turned off by clicking the X next to the "SafeSearch" results.</green>
It is still inappropriate to be sending these without Opting IN.
Also the mywot.com website uses Google Analytics without mentioning this in its privacy policy. I have seen other sites blasted in the forums for doing this same thing.
What especially concerns me about this is that this is implemented in such a way that the google _utm* cookies along with 10 others are being (at least occasionally) passed to api.mywot.com. If you do a search on Google this cookie is passed with a request GET /0.4/script?.... It seems to be believed that api.mywot.com is supposed to be cookie free.
<green>Doing some fast testing I have not seen these cookies being passed to api.mywot.com during other operations (normal, non-searching surfing). </green>
I started a conversation here: http://www.mywot.com/forum/7352-wot-addon-for-firefox-surfcanyon
Fantastic website, amazing add-on! This website have changed my web browsing experience, I can now browse safely. Wish I would have downloaded this earlier.
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