See? We Told You So!
Five years ago, back in 2011, we wrote a series of articles about Web of Trust (WOT). In those articles we questioned the trustworthiness of Web of Trust and advised our readers NOT to trust Web of Trust.
We showed how a few WOT “community” members manipulated WOT ratings by using automated scripts and bots, and were able to get legitimate sites of WOT’s “WARNING” list. WOT’s community steered users away from legitimate sites and unfairly hurt a lot of small Web sites and small internet businesses.
You can read our WOT-related articles from the links below:
www.thundercloud.net/infoave/new/wot-can-we-say-see-we-told-you-so/
www.thundercloud.net/infoave/new/dan-agrees-whats-up-with-wot/
www.thundercloud.net/infoave/new/tag/patsy-says-her-site-was-ruined-by-wot/
www.thundercloud.net/infoave/new/wot-needs-to-control-its-community/
www.thundercloud.net/infoave/new/wot-the-web-of-trust/
We warned our users about WOT five years ago and strongly recommended they not trust WOT and to remove the WOT browser add-on.
Five years later, it comes to light that what we wrote about WOT was not only true, but there was even more going on with WOT than what we suspected five years ago. Today, it was revealed( 09 November 2016) in this article which appeared on MakeUseOf web site, that WOT was collecting user data and selling it.
Here’s an excerpt from that article:
If you have Web of Trust installed, you should consider uninstalling it right now. Why? Because Web of Trust, also known as WOT, has been caught collecting and selling user data. Even worse, this data hasn’t always been successfully anonymized.
Web of Trust (WOT) is a tool designed to help you browse the web safely. Users rate websites based on different metrics, and websites are then assigned a safety rating. Anyone with WOT installed on their web browser can then instantly get an idea of which websites are safe to visit.
The problem, as discovered by German broadcaster NDR, is that WOT collects data about its users, and then sells it onto third parties. This part is all openly admitted in the Web of Trust Privacy Policy. However, this states that the data is “non-identifiable,” and that appears to not be the case.
NDR investigators were able to link the so-called anonymized data to individual users…
Five years ago we advised you not to trust Web of Trust … and it turns out that we were right… again.
See? We told you so!
I listen to you and believe what you say, can really trust you !!
Yes and much appreciated, thank you! !
Is there anyone in the world we can trust besides you and Rachel Maddow? I don’t think so.
I remember when you warned us about WOT. Way back then I had installed about
Immediately took that off my computer. I trust everything you say about different sites you have never steered me wrong you are my second thing that I check and when you say something About i immediately take it off my computer
Hope you have a great day. Also thank you for setting new email program…
Thank you all for all you. Do for us old folks.
Haven’t used it since.
Good job again…and I see I am not the only that thinks you are great and trustworthy !
So happy I can always trust C-8…ALWAYS FOLLOW YOUR ADVICE!
Thanks again & again & again–you two are pretty coo, tool!
We trust you to guide us in the right direction. As for me, in ten years, that trust has never been misplaced.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
I had installed WOT back in the day, but after reading your advice I removed it. The two of you have been keeping us out of trouble on the Internet all these years. I will certainly continue to follow your wise advice. You’re the best!
So far I have been very happy with your advise,keep up the good work.
Lifechaker ran an article on that on Monday and I commented, linking back to your 2011 article. I haven’t trusted them since your first one and wouldn’t trust them as far as I can throw them now!
http://lifehacker.com/1788679408