• The Alexa Toolbar Internet browser plugin displays traffic trends, related links and traffic rank for any site a user visits. It also helps Alexa determine these trends and rankings by monitoring the web usage of the individuals who install the toolbar. Until the July 2007 release of "Sparky," the Firefox version of the toolbar, The Alexa Toolbar was only available for Internet Explorer.

• Fast Facts

  1. Originally released: July 17, 1997
  2. Firefox version released: July 16, 2007
  3. Alexa.com is run by Amazon
  4. Only 14% of the toolbar's users are in the U.S.Alexa Web Discovery Machine Blog: Alexa's Traffic Panel Is Increasingly Global (February 2, 2007)
  5. To improve accuracy, Alexa filters out the information received from most of their toolbarsAlexa Web Discovery Machine Blog: Alexa's Traffic Panel Is Increasingly Global (February 2, 2007)

• Privacy Concerns

  Because the Alexa toolbar collects the browsing history of its users, there has been some concern about potential misuse of this information. The Alexa Toolbar privacy statement says that Alexa collects and stores personally identifying information, but they do not use this information in a way that reveals any person's individual identity.Official Site: Alexa Internet Privacy Policy

  Sunbelt Software, makers of Windows security software, consider the Alexa Toolbar to be a potential privacy risk.Sunbelt Software: Alexa Toolbar McAfee SiteAdvisor recommends using caution when downloading from Alexa, and the Windows anti-spyware tool, Windows Defender, labels the Alexa Toolbar a Trojan.McAfee SiteAdvisor: Alexa.com TCMnet Voip & Gadgets Blog: Windows Defender Calls Alexa Toolbar Trojan (March 2, 2007)

• Related Mahalo Pages

  Alexa.com | Firefox | Internet Explorer | Search Engine Optimization | Web Widgets | Widget Engines and Desktop Widgets

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