Block META redirect within NOSCRIPT element at Google search

[Decklan]

Hi, sincerely sorry for my poor english, it's not my native language. I'm using NoScript 2.1.8 under linux and Firefox 7.0.1. Today while I type something to search in Google appears something like the following message (sorry for the english translation): NoScript block a <META>; redirect whithin <NOSCRIPT> element:http://www.google.es/search?sc... in 0 seconds.

Every search I do in Google appears the message, I must click on Follow redirect to view the search results and when Google show me the results when I click on the link that I want to view appears the message again, I must click on Follow redirect to access that link. It's strange, I tried NoScript 2.1.7 with the same result. I don't change my NoScript Options, they are the same with every update (and yes I have marked Forbid META redirections inside <NOSCRIPT> elements in every NoScript version without problems). I never had Google in my NoScript whitelist as permanent option, I permit webpages one by one and I delete webpages in whitelist options when I exit Firefox, only stay the NoScript default grayed ones.

I think it's not a NoScript bug, perhaps Google change something but really it's very annoying. Very strange. No problem until now. Does anyone have this problem?

Greetings to all.

[me]

November 03,2011
I have also noticed today that Google is severely slowed by the Meta Redirect blockings.
Something at Google has changed.
I was using v2.1.5 and now v2.1.8 no difference.
In order to use Google I turned off:
"Forbid META redirections inside <NOSCRIPT> elements"
I would rather go back and keep this turned on, especially since this is a Global option.
Google was better when it was a simple search site, never needing any javascript from NoScript.
Thanks Giorgio!

[Tom T.]

You may wish to try this site instead: https://ssl.scroogle.org.
No cookies, no storing logs of search queries, you can block META again, etc.

And NO Javascript required.

I have no connection with that site, and am not responsible for what they do or don't do. Just a suggestion.

[Decklan]

November 03,2011
I have also noticed today that Google is severely slowed by the Meta Redirect blockings.
Something at Google has changed.
I was using v2.1.5 and now v2.1.8 no difference.
In order to use Google I turned off:
"Forbid META redirections inside <NOSCRIPT> elements"
I would rather go back and keep this turned on, especially since this is a Global option.
Google was better when it was a simple search site, never needing any javascript from NoScript.
Thanks Giorgio!

Yes you're right, it appears that Google has changed something, never had problem while searching something. I don't like turn off the Forbid META redirections inside <NOSCRIPT> elements option. No problems with Bing and Yahoo web search engines, only with Google. It's very strange and very annoying.

By the way, thanks Tom T. for your advice and information.

[Mc]

On some quicksearch bookmarks, which use google search, inserting &gbv=1 avoids the meta redirect for me. But on others, where &gbv=1 and &ei=xxx gets inserted by the redirect, that doesn't help.

[Mc]

It appears it works on all quicksearches (and so it does on SmartSearch). Seems I did something wrong before.

[Decklan]

On some quicksearch bookmarks, which use google search, inserting &gbv=1 avoids the meta redirect for me. But on others, where &gbv=1 and &ei=xxx gets inserted by the redirect, that doesn't help.

You are right Mc, try to change your browser homepage to "http://www.google.co.uk/webhp?sclient=psy-ab&hl=en&gbv=1&source=hp" (without quotes) and search something, that avoid meta redirect for me too. But when &ei=xxx its included appears again the meta redirect.

Regards

[Decklan]

On some quicksearch bookmarks, which use google search, inserting &gbv=1 avoids the meta redirect for me. But on others, where &gbv=1 and &ei=xxx gets inserted by the redirect, that doesn't help.

You are right Mc, try to change your browser homepage to "http://www.google.co.uk/webhp?sclient=psy-ab&hl=en&gbv=1&source=hp" (without quotes) and search something, that avoid meta redirect for me too. But when &ei=xxx its included appears again the meta redirect.

Regards

Without success for now, with &gbv=1 I avoid the first meta redirect (as said Mc) but not the following ones including &ei=xxx. (And for my above post don't change your browser homepage just type the address in your browser, sorry for the error).

[Mc]

With quicksearch all searches run. So you may use it for now. It's also called keyword search.
http://kb.mozillazine.org/Using_keyword_searches

The keyword bookmarks are also used in SmartSearch, btw, which is very handy.
https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/smartsearch/

[Decklan]

With quicksearch all searches run. So you may use it for now. It's also called keyword search.
http://kb.mozillazine.org/Using_keyword_searches

The keyword bookmarks are also used in SmartSearch, btw, which is very handy.
https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/smartsearch/

Again sorry for my poor english. Thanks Mc for your help, both methods run flawlessly for now and is a temporary solution. I was thinking that all this problem was related to more hard tracking code of urls from Google, but now I have installed User Agent Switcher addon for Firefox and looks like the problem its gone, no more meta redirects warnings for now and no need to disable "Forbid META redirections inside <NOSCRIPT> elements" option in NoScript. I use linux and Firefox 7.0.1 as I posted at first and now perhaps you will see that my user agent it's different. I'm testing this and no problems for now, please I request people having problems with meta redirects warnings while Google search to test this solution or try change user agent manually and say if it's a good workaround.

Greetings to all

[Decklan]

With quicksearch all searches run. So you may use it for now. It's also called keyword search.
http://kb.mozillazine.org/Using_keyword_searches

The keyword bookmarks are also used in SmartSearch, btw, which is very handy.
https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/smartsearch/

Again sorry for my poor english. Thanks Mc for your help, both methods run flawlessly for now and is a temporary solution. I was thinking that all this problem was related to more hard tracking code of urls from Google, but now I have installed User Agent Switcher addon for Firefox and looks like the problem its gone, no more meta redirects warnings for now and no need to disable "Forbid META redirections inside <NOSCRIPT> elements" option in NoScript. I use linux and Firefox 7.0.1 as I posted at first and now perhaps you will see that my user agent it's different. I'm testing this and no problems for now, please I request people having problems with meta redirects warnings while Google search to test this solution or try change user agent manually and say if it's a good workaround.

Greetings to all

Forgot to comment that it's looks like a Firefox - Google related problem, browsing fine now with Opera 11.52 under linux.

[Decklan]

When I uninstall User Agent Switcher addon the meta redirection problem appears again, I don't know if this is a problem of linux and windows users under Firefox or only linux users. Because linux is my default OS I can't test this on Windows PC. As said before with Opera 11.52 all is fine but my default browser is Firefox with NoScript and my only chance to workaround this problem is to install User Agent Switcher.

Regards

[Tom T.]

When I uninstall User Agent Switcher addon the meta redirection problem appears again, I don't know if this is a problem of linux and windows users under Firefox or only linux users. Because linux is my default OS I can't test this on Windows PC. As said before with Opera 11.52 all is fine but my default browser is Firefox with NoScript and my only chance to workaround this problem is to install User Agent Switcher.

HA! I tried a Google search (on Win XP), got the meta redirect, then changed my useragent manually. (about:config > userag (autocompletes) > double-click > typed in MSIE 8.0, which is how it should show here to registered users). Google search no longer results in redirects. What does Google have against Firefox, other than being its chief competitor to replace IE in the browser market?

Which is one more of many reasons why I don't like Google and prefer the alternative mentioned above.
Interesting finding - thanks both for your information.

[me]

I have done more research on this.
UserAgent does not seem to matter.
If I use FireFox v3.6.23 or OLDER, Google.com works like before, O.K.
If I use FireFox v5.0 or Newer, then the META redirects pop up from NoScript.(only recently and increasingly)
I have used NoScript v2.1.8 with both FFv3.6.23 and FFv6.0.?.
The thing which works is an older FireFox.
Something is very different with the newer rolling release style FireFoxes.
Please note that I do keep many versions of FireFox on my computer which can be simultaneously run.
They all have their own Mozilla sub-directories, and I am totally using Debian Squeeze O.S.
But I try to keep them very similar in configuration, in which most everything is always blocked.
Thanks for NoScript, hope this helps.

[Tom T.]

...If I use FireFox v3.6.23 or OLDER, Google.com works like before, O.K.
If I use FireFox v5.0 or Newer, then the META redirects pop up from NoScript.(only recently and increasingly)
I have used NoScript v2.1.8 with both FFv3.6.23 and FFv6.0.?.
The thing which works is an older FireFox.

I reproduced the redirect on both 3.6.23, which is presently my default browser, and on Fx 2.0.0.20.

It appears to be a scripting-permissions issue. I don't allow Google.

When I temp-allow google.com and gstatic.com, then not only does the redirect not appear, but also the auto-complete search suggestions box appears and works, which it didn't with script disallowed.

Still doesn't explain why changing my useragent to MSIE 8.0 eliminated the redirect, although the suggestions box still did not appear, as I did not allow the scripting.

With Google not allowed, the Surrogate Script should run. I'll ask Giorgio if it's possible to enhance the surrogate so that the meta redirect does not occur.

EDIT: gstatic.com appears not to be required, but it was a very brief test. It might be needed for other functions.
If using RequestPolicy, as I do, requests from Google must be allowed, or at least, to the links you want; else, the links don't work.