Block META redirect within NOSCRIPT element at Google search

[cookieJones]

...

Edit:

By the way Firefox has its own light Meta Redirect blocker (Tools - Options - Advanced - General - Accessibility - ‘Warn me when web sites try to redirect or reload the page’)

I activated that, out of curiosity. (Always have relied on NS's.) When I submitted a post, it blocked the automatic return to my posted message, and I needed either to click "allow" or to click "return to your message". I like NS's wiser selectivity better, and de-activated the Firefox one. (Fx 3.6.23)

Are you saying that when NoScript's META redirect blocker is enabled, that it's not necessary to enable Firefox's redirect blocker? That would be great.

[Decklan]

Testing NoScript 2.1.9rc4.

Did you reset the noscript.forbidMetaRefresh.exception about:config preference to its (now changed) default value?

Yes, NoScript.forbidMetaRefresh.exception is set to default:
^https?://(?:www|encrypted)\.google\.(?:[a-z]{2,3}|[a-z]{2}\.[a-z]{2,3})/ t.co

[Decklan]

Testing NoScript 2.1.9rc4.

Did you reset the noscript.forbidMetaRefresh.exception about:config preference to its (now changed) default value?

Yes, NoScript.forbidMetaRefresh.exception is set to default:
^https?://(?:www|encrypted)\.google\.(?:[a-z]{2,3}|[a-z]{2}\.[a-z]{2,3})/ t.co

Sorry this post, only to correct typo (it's not "NoScript...)
Preference name:
noscript.forbidMetaRefresh.exceptions
String value:
^https?://(?:www|encrypted)\.google\.(?:[a-z]{2,3}|[a-z]{2}\.[a-z]{2,3})/ t.co

[Giorgio Maone]

but when I click on some of the results (for example "noscript.net/") there is still notification of NS blocking a META refresh at the top left corner until destination link is loaded.

Sorry, I initially misunderstood the above.
That's not a notification, that's just a different NoScript feature which detected a JS-based automatic navigation device is present and turns it into a visible link.
Perfectly expected and, as you said, nothing to be worried about.

[Decklan]

but when I click on some of the results (for example "noscript.net/") there is still notification of NS blocking a META refresh at the top left corner until destination link is loaded.

Sorry, I initially misunderstood the above.
That's not a notification, that's just a different NoScript feature which detected a JS-based automatic navigation device is present and turns it into a visible link.
Perfectly expected and, as you said, nothing to be worried about.

All right. Thank you, Giorgio.

[Tom T.]

Testing NoScript 2.1.9rc4.

Did you reset the noscript.forbidMetaRefresh.exception about:config preference to its (now changed) default value?

I guess I expected 2.1.9rc4 to do that for me. Changing it manually solved the issue.

I realize that NS updates attempt to preserve the user's current settings, but if the purpose of the update is to change an about:config value to solve a problem, perhaps the update should do that? Else, how would most users know to do this?

If invisible changes are undesirable (many are, I agree), perhaps a balloon or message:

"NoScript has changed the following preference default"
(OK / No, keep my current settings)

Just food for thought.

[Tom T.]

Are you saying that when NoScript's META redirect blocker is enabled, that it's not necessary to enable Firefox's redirect blocker? That would be great.

I can speak only for myself, but I have used only NoScript's META refresh protection for some years. It protects against the bad cases, although with an occasional false alarm, as in this thread. Firefox's is too restrictive for my taste. Clicking a link that I can see (and can hover the mouse pointer, to see the destination in the lower left status bar), or letting the board software or scripting return me to my posted message without action from me, is fine. I don't want *invisible* redirection to some other site, and NS does that for me.

As said, the Firefox blocker requires action from me to see my own message after posting. A bit too strong for my taste. IMHO. YMMV.

[me]

Giorgio, and all,
Today on 11/10/2011 around 21:40 EST
I have used Google.com, with FireFox v6.02 and NoScript v2.1.8.
Guess what, all basic searches worked without seeing redirect warnings.
I double checked my settings and they look the same.
I can only surmise that Google has changed something back.
Some things like Google feedback and images still have META REDIRECT warnings.
A few days ago when this thread started I left a few feedbacks myself about this problem at Google.
For whatever reason now Google.com works more like I expect it to, just enter a term and get results.
Not totally fixed yet, but strongly looking like Google is fixing it, since I am still using the same things here in my browser and not getting all of those warnings.
Thanks again...

[Tom T.]

Giorgio, and all,
Today on 11/10/2011 around 21:40 EST
I have used Google.com, with FireFox v6.02 and NoScript v2.1.8.
Guess what, all basic searches worked without seeing redirect warnings.
I double checked my settings and they look the same.
I can only surmise that Google has changed something back.
Some things like Google feedback and images still have META REDIRECT warnings.
A few days ago when this thread started I left a few feedbacks myself about this problem at Google.
For whatever reason now Google.com works more like I expect it to, just enter a term and get results.
Not totally fixed yet, but strongly looking like Google is fixing it, since I am still using the same things here in my browser and not getting all of those warnings.
Thanks again...

I tested this by removing the new addition to the noscript.forbidMetaRefresh.exceptions in 2.1.9rc*:

Code: Select all

^https?://(?:www|encrypted)\.google\.(?:[a-z]{2,3}|[a-z]2\.[a-z]{2,3})/ t.co

(IOW, no exceptions at all),
and indeed, Google seems to work fine, and so does clicking on common links from there, e. g., Wikipedia, with no META warning.
Tested on both Fx 3.6.24 and Fx 8.0.

So yes, it does seem that Google has been responsive. Thanks for the new info.

@ Giorigo: Do you think this makes it OK to remove this from the default noscript.forbidMetaRefresh.exceptions in the next stable release or RC?

[Mc]

Perfect
All searches work, keyword searches don't need an added &gbv=1 and I don't see notifications in SeaMonkey 2.4 (=Fx7) and SeaMonkey 2.5 beta (=Fx8).
Thank you, Giorgio

Seems since today(?) adding &gvb=1 is needed in the search url, otherwise google tries to redirect.

[Tom T.]

Perfect
All searches work, keyword searches don't need an added &gbv=1 and I don't see notifications in SeaMonkey 2.4 (=Fx7) and SeaMonkey 2.5 beta (=Fx8).
Thank you, Giorgio

Seems since today(?) adding &gvb=1 is needed in the search url, otherwise google tries to redirect.

Yep, I just tried it on Fx 3.6.24, and got the same symptom. (Google scripting blocked. Allowing lets it redirect.)
Will verify on F8, which is no longer beta, but is the current stable release. Back in a minute.

[Tom T.]

On Fx 8.0, after typing in search terms and Enter, I still get the META redirect block and warning, but there's also a notification:

"Please click here if you are not redirected within a few seconds." (link to the results). I am not redirected within a few seconds, so I click here.
Then the results are displayed, and the links work. (Tried only the link to Wikipedia.)

Seems whatever Google did to fix this for us has regressed. I'll ask Giorgio to revisit this. Thanks for the report.

[Mc]

On Fx 8.0, after typing in search terms and Enter, I still get the META redirect block and warning, but there's also a notification:

"Please click here if you are not redirected within a few seconds." (link to the results). I am not redirected within a few seconds, so I click here.
Then the results are displayed, and the links work.

When I posted above, I wasn't redirected, but now I am. So this issue seems to be solved by google.

[Tom T.]

On Fx 8.0, after typing in search terms and Enter, I still get the META redirect block and warning, but there's also a notification:

"Please click here if you are not redirected within a few seconds." (link to the results). I am not redirected within a few seconds, so I click here.
Then the results are displayed, and the links work.

When I posted above, I wasn't redirected, but now I am. So this issue seems to be solved by google.

Not to me. On both Fx 3.6.24 and Fx 8.0, I still get a block and the message, "If you are not automatically redirected, click here."
I checked to see if RequestPolicy could be the issue. The only request in the original search page was from google to gstatic.com. I TA'd it, reloaded, tried another search. No difference - same result. (symptom)

To be clear, this is with "all Google scripting blocked" and "all Google cookies blocked". Have you tried it in that configuration? (It used to work before.)

[Mc]

Weird. I use the same settings as you (and RequestPolicy) and you are partially right. With the same keyword search I'm redirected by google ( I see the Please click here...), if I use SmartSearch, and I'm not, if I use it in the url bar (at least now, I thought I've tried that too).