>As far as tracking by affiliate id's, wouldn't using plain
>url's and mod rewrite to redirect those url's to an
>affiliate id keep your privacy?
>
>I've been switching out my aff id's with this method so I
>can swap out merchants as I see fit - the privacy issue is a
>bonus.

Not in this case...Google's reach is far beyond that. They are tracking what you're doing in your browser, not your websites.

If we assume you have BOTH the Google bar and Adsense, Google knows everything.

If you log into AdSense using your Bar, Google can assiciate your Bar with their AdSense info and track you wherever you go using a browser with their bar.

IMO, the PR bar is a way to sucker webmasters into using their bar. Now, they add spell check, so they can read everything you every type into a form, then compare it to your Adsense info, and not only record everything you type on the web, but exactly who you are, your bank, SS#, address, phone number, and more.

If you later log into Searchfeed, the Bar can tell google that you logged into the affiliate program at SF and potentially read any affiliate ID you have. Any website with this info will tell Google you own it.

Then, the get you to use their desktop search so they can index all your files on your hard drive.

On top of that, they give you Gmail and track every word you type or receive in email.

Google isn't a search company, it is a data mining company.