G-ZAPPER PRO
http://www.dummysoftware.com/gzapper.html
Reviewed March 2007

What’s It Do?

G-Zapper claims to help protect your identity by reading the Google cookie installed on your PC, displaying the date it was installed, and determining how long your searches have been tracked. It allows you to delete or entirely block the Google search cookie from future installation. The Pro edition also blocks search cookies from other popular search engines, including Yahoo, MSN, Ask, and others, and selectively block cookies from any desired site.


Does it do what it promises?

Reviewer 1: Only somewhat. Usually, it zaps the cookie that Google plants each time I do a Google search or use one of Google’s services, such as Gmail. However, G-Zapper’s current version claims also to be able to show your specific Google search terms and let you erase them. This feature did not work for me. Moreover, on several occasions, G-Zapper claimed to have zapped a Google cookie that had been on my system for a given number of days, but then several hours later it claimed that the same Google cookie was on my system and had been there for the same number of days.

Reviewer 2: While this program seems to perform the functions promised, it makes major changes to your system setup behind the scenes without warning about the nature or the potential consequences of the changes. This is a policy I find to be unacceptable.

Reviewer 3: Yes. Ksoft’s G-Zapper program cleans the information that identifies you by Google by allowing you to remove and or disable cookies, search history and Google’s “analytics”. The Pro version allows you to do the same by default with other search engines such as Yahoo, MSN, AOL or you may customize for any search engine as well as disable cookies on a site-by-site basis.

Reviewer 4: This is really a "focused" piece of software. It is designed specifically to let you control the tracking cookie that Google installs on your computer. These particular cookies allow Google to keep a record of the searches that you do. With that information, the ads that Google displays around your screen will be aimed towards your interests, as evidenced by your searches. If you disable cookies on Google, some of its "personalized" features cannot be recorded, so you will not be able to save them. By running gZapper, with one click you can delete the current Google cookie and the ID that Google has assigned your computer. So next time you go Googling, it will be as though you are Googling for the first time.

Reviewer 5: Yes, absolutely. As many other sites, the Google search engine places a tracking cookie in your system, allowing them to track your areas of interest. Subsequent use may be made of this information to target market or compile statistics on user behavior. Possibly this information could then be passed to third parties.


Was it easy to install?

Reviewer 1: Yes, I had no problem downloading and installing the program. However, at the end of the installation process, I was presented with two options to select or not. One was to run G-Zapper; this was checked by default. The other was to see the Help information. This was unchecked, and I decided I’d prefer to try out G-Zapper before looking at Help, so I left Help unchecked. To my dismay, there was no Help button or menu entry on the program interface. Some time later, I finally found a minimal Help document in the G-Zapper folder in Program Files.

Reviewer 2: Installation was fast and easy.

Reviewer 3: Yes, it is a tiny download, not quite 1.0MB, that installs quickly, smoothly, and effortlessly using a standard-type installation wizard. The program also uninstalls easily and cleanly, leaving no junk files remaining on your computer or empty keys in your registry.

Reviewer 4: Yes. I was able to place the program and Start Menu items where I wanted.

Reviewer 5: Yes, installation was a breeze, a few seconds. The file is also very small, so it is a fast download even with dialup modems.


Good points.

Reviewer 1: G-Zapper makes it easy to get rid of Google tracking cookies. You can, of course, do this in other ways (e.g., in Firefox, go to Tools/Options/Privacy or use Firefox’s Cookie Culler extension), but G-Zapper offers the quickest method. You can also block specific cookies via Firefox’s Tools/Options/Privacy, but, again, using G-Zapper may be a bit faster. I should add, however, that if you block Google from setting cookies, you won’t be able to use many of Google’s resources, including Gmail. Gmail users are thus better off deleting Google’s cookies rather than blocking them (G-Zapper also makes this point.).

Reviewer 2: The main cookie that identifies you to Google can be blocked or periodically deleted. Other Web sites can have their cookies blocked.

Reviewer 3: This is a very simple program with really only one feature and purpose: to clean and remove cookies and search history from your browser and hard drive, which it does without difficulty. The GUI (Graphic user Interface) is simple and straightforward, and even a beginner would have no problem using this program immediately. The EULA is relatively clean and simple with no hidden or unusual disclaimers and allows for the use of the program on a one- computer-per-license basis. The company is an American company—something becoming more and more unusual in the computer software industry—based in Trenton, N.J. and it claims to pride itself on customer service and the rather antiquated belief that “the customer is always right.” They also state that they generally answer any customer inquiry the same day. While I had no need for support, I anonymously sent two support-type questions over a period of three weeks and in each case my question was answered on the same day—actually, both within hours! There is a 10-day refund policy if you do not like the program for any reason (more than enough time to evaluate a simple program such as G-Zapper); however, even after 10 days the company will allow you to exchange the program for one of their other many programs. All in all, this sounds like a company that means what it says about customer service! Overall, this is an attractive little program that does exactly what it says it will do and does it perfectly, simply, and with an indiscernible amount of computer resources. The latest version is a reasonable $20.00 and is optimized for IE 6, 7 and Firefox. I am not particularly nervous about my privacy but if you are, then this is the program for you and I would unhesitatingly recommend it.

Reviewer 4: This is a simple program. All functions appear on a single screen, including access to the Web site, upgrades to the software, and, of course, deleting and controlling the Google cookies. The Google-zapper is free; if you upgrade to the Professional Version, tracking cookies from Yahoo, Msn, search, AOL, Aolsearch and Ask.com can all be blocked. You can add or delete other sites that you wish to have treated in the same way. I checked for updates (one click) and found that there was an update available, with support for Windows Vista. The download (on cable modem) and installation took about three minutes in total. All my settings were kept. I did have to redirect the program to the folder where I wanted to have it located; it wanted to place the update in its own default folder. Apart from that, there was no problem. When the program has been called up, and is idling in the background, it takes very few computer resources, only 1268 kb on my computer, so it has little impact on normal computing functions. Of course, it does not have to run all the time. You can simply call it up from time-to-time, (or even schedule it to appear), delete the current cookies, and close the program down again.

Reviewer 5: One strength I particularly liked was that when G-Zapper opened, the very first screen advised whether a Google cookie was detected. No additional clicks were needed to see if further action is required. Further, all subsequent commands are also on this single screen. If you have no cookie detected, simply close the program. If G-Zapper indicates a cookie, you may choose to delete it for this time so your search activities cannot be attributed to you, but it will may return at a later time. Alternatively, you may choose to delete and block the cookie. If you do so, you will be protected from “reinfestation”, but unable to use most Google services, until you remove the block, allowing cookies to be added again. These options are well-explained on the same screen as everything else After each Google search visit, I would check and if necessary delete (not block) the cookie and follow this same procedure after each visit. I was therefore able to have full access, without worrying about an undesired cookie hanging about. This feature may also be used to prevent tracking at other search sites such as yahoo and AOL. After you have deleted or deleted/blocked, you may check your work by clicking on the Test Google button. You are taken to the preference page . If it is blocked you are given a message in red telling you that you must accept cookies to gain access to it or additional services. You may also access an area titled “Edit Sites”. It is here that you may enter other sites you may block. If you intend to use other search engines and want the same protection, this feature will do that for you. After clicking the button, type in the site name in the format search, e.g., yahoo.com or search.AOL.com, etc. You will be protected at these sites in the same manner as at Google.


Weak points.

Reviewer 1: G-Zapper’s main weak point is that it didn’t work very well. Though it claimed to be able to show me the Google searches I did and give me the opportunity to delete them, it never found any of my many searches. It consistently reported “No Google searches found in Internet Explorer or Firefox.” I do almost all my searches by using the convenient Google search bar built into Firefox. I wondered whether that was why G-Zapper didn’t find the searches. I then went to the Google search page and did a search from there. Even then, however, though G-Zapper did note that Google set another cookie, it still did not find any details of the search itself.

G-Zapper also did not zap Google cookies reliably. Frequently, G-Zapper would tell me that there was a Google tracking cookie on my computer and that it had been there for, say, three days. Indeed, it told me the date and time that the cookie was placed on my computer. Upon seeing this, I’d click on “Delete Cookie.” G-Zapper would respond by telling me the location of the cookie that it zapped, and immediately after zapping it, it reported “No Google Tracking ID detected on your computer.” However, on a number of occasions, if I checked G-Zapper a few hours later, it would report that Google had installed a tracking cookie with the same filename, date, and time as the one G-Zapper claimed to have zapped several hours earlier. Thus, even G-Zapper’s most basic function does not seem to work as it should. A lesser weak point is that G-Zapper does not inform you when there are updates. You have to know to click on the “Upgrade” button. I clicked on it simply out of curiosity, not even realizing that that was how to check for updates. Twice in the three months I used G-Zapper, I found there were updates, but I never received notification that one was available nor what new features or improvements the update contained.

Reviewer 2: The registered version activates the “Sites to Delete and Block Cookies” function that allows permanently blocking cookies from Web sites other than Google. Fortunately for me, I was also running WinPatrol when I attempted to do this because it alerted me that my HOSTS file was about to be changed. When I investigated further, I found that the HOSTS file was about to be overwritten, not just added to! The HOSTS file overrides the way Web sites are found when a Web page address is entered; i.e. it tells the computer which numerical address to go to when a URL is entered, and it supersedes the normal address lookup process. The HOSTS file can be customized by the user and is used by some security programs to block the computer from opening Web sites known to contain spyware, Trojans, and other malware. In my case, I have extensively added undesirable sites to my HOSTS file. To have them overwritten would be a great loss to me. To have them overwritten by G-Zapper without it giving prior notice about what would happen would be unforgivable. The “Sites to Delete and Block Cookies” function apparently does more than just overwrite the HOSTS file because my Google cookie-writing function was blocked after using this function, even though Google was not listed in the programs to be blocked list and I had not yet activated the button to block Google cookies. Saved Google searches on one’s browsers can be ‘deleted’, but they can also be restored. This implies that instead of removing the searches from the system, they are transferred to another area of the computer’s storage. This may negate much of the privacy promised by this program; i.e. a sophisticated user could recover your previous search inquiries, just not from the location where they are traditionally located. While you can highlight each individual search item in the “Google Searches on your PC” section, you cannot delete or restore the individual searches; you may only change them as a block. Deleting Google’s cookie is a redundant function to Firefox’s built in pop-up option that invites you to delete all cookies, browsing history, cache, passwords, and authenticated sessions.

Reviewer 3: There really are no glaring weak points that I discovered in my three month use and testing of this program.

Reviewer 4: The only thing that I found puzzling occurred when I used the “Test Google” button. According to the pop-up screen, I should not find a message that cookies have been disabled. However, if I use the “Test Google” a second time, there is no message about cookies being disabled. Other personal settings that I use for Google operate normally.

Reviewer 5: I could find no FAQ, help or quick-start assistance within the program itself. Rather, this information is found at the very end of the installation process, wherein a check box will take you to a text file. I saved the installation file, as I usually do, then opened it, duplicated the installation process, then checked the box to retrieve the information, rather an awkward process, which it seems should be incorporated into the program itself.


Other comments.

Reviewer 1: G-Zapper can also block other search engines, such as Yahoo, AOL, MSN, and Ask.com, from setting cookies. Since I rarely use these search engines, this feature did not seem very important to me. And, blocking any cookies is a relatively easy thing to do with Firefox. I suppose, though, that if G-Zapper worked more reliably, I might recommend it to someone who was willing to spend money to block or delete Google cookies and block other search engine cookies in the easiest possible way. However, I did not find G-Zapper worked well enough to recommend it. There’s also some question about whether deleting Google cookies will really prevent Google from amassing information about your searches. Apparently Google also records your IP (Internet Protocol) address. If, like me, you are permanently connected to the Internet via broadband (cable, DSL, etc.), your IP address probably remains stable for weeks at a time, so it might well be possible for Google to link the information it collects to a single IP address associated with your broadband modem.

Reviewer 2: Blocking or deleting Google’s cookies and history does more than make Web searches on Google semi-anonymous. In my case, it removed a list of companies I had saved to look up corporate news on Google Finance. The company discloses and discusses effects like this rather extensively.

Reviewer 3: I would caution Ksoft not to overstate the privacy issue gained with this product because Google records your IP (Internet Protocol) address, and if you are permanently connected to the Internet via broadband, your IP address does not change so it would be very easy for Google to link a string of GUIDs (Google user identity number) to a single IP address. And by the way, Google is not doing anything that every other search engine doesn’t also do; in fact, they are a bit more forthright about it than most. They log URLs received from Web searches that have information coded into them by the sites visited. This is how they direct their advertising and collect from their customers. The only way to stay invisible from Google or any search engine is with an anonymiser program. Also, a user does need to be aware that by deleting or disabling Google cookies you will also disable your access to services such as Gmail, Google notebook, and Google’s suite of applications like Writely and Google Calendar. One last note, if you are using Mozilla’s Firefox you can accomplish the same thing as G-Zapper by installing the free Foxy-Proxy extension and setting Firefox so that it only keeps cookies until you close Firefox.

Reviewer 4: This is a nice little utility to have installed, and to call up from time to time. It gives me a feeling that I am having a small victory in favor of privacy. Because I have not adhered to a regular schedule of running the program, I did find a couple of actions that puzzled me. For example, I use three browsers: Firefox and Opera are my preferred, while I will use IE when I am required to. I wanted to be sure that the Google cookies were being deleted for all three browsers. I sent a message to support via the Contacts link on the K-soft Web page, and received an answer in less than three hours. Another request for support took three days before I received a reply.

Reviewer 5: This program is not by subscription or limited to the current version for updates. Instead, the developer will provide free all future updates and upgrades. This type of assurance is becoming less and less common. G-Zapper is very narrow in scope, but it at least provides some sanctuary from surveillance in a small part of our on-line lives. Whether it is worth $20 depends on your search frequency and habits. You may want to try the 30-day trial. I admire this program for its very small footprint, straightforward design and ease of use. It basically only does one thing, but does that well.


Will you continue to use it?

Reviewer 1: No.

Reviewer 2: No.

Reviewer 3: No, but only because I use Firefox exclusively.

Reviewer 4: Yes.

Reviewer 5: Yes. I'm don't want to be thought of as paranoid, but I resent all the forms of intrusion to which I am subject. At least I can prevent a small portion, it seems.

G-Zapper’s Provider replies: That was an impressive and thorough review. The comments were very valuable. Thank you.

OPERATING SYSTEMS USED IN THIS REVIEW
Windows XP Pro, XP Home, XP Media Center Edition
 

Back