List of Threads Viewed by : FTD1167

Not sure this is the "correct" forum, but, but based upon something I just found using google. can you turn off google caching of milsur's "wrtviewuser" info like this?

List of Threads Viewed by : FTD1167

Your bulletin board software doesn't give me permission to view CURRENT content, but google snaps it up.

I'm not speaking for FTD1167, but, even if several weeks out of date, I don't think it anybody's business what threads CROSSEDCANNONS viewed here, recently or otherwise. Hope you can fix it.

Thank you.

All of this type of information is available within Google's search parameters and there's little we can do to stop it, as it's generated by Google, not our site. It should be noted that Google CSE capability is only available to registered members, so guests and others viewing the site do not the option to use or see Google's CSE.

Regardless, it's not overly private nor personal information being displayed and the data itself has been available within all versions of vBulletin software for the last 5 years, that I can remember.

Currently, all administrative staff and moderators of any vBulletin software based boards can read this information at the bottom of any thread, as well as the original thread author, without having to even utilize Google's CSE. Check any thread that you originally created and you'll see what I mean. The only way anyone can view this data, other than the original poster or moderators, is to go through a back door using a web cache approach direct with Google, as you point out. I doubt anyone is going to bother with that, since I think most members are using the advantages of Google's CSE as a superior search engine to vBulletin's built-in one, and not a trying to search web cache's of other member's viewing habits.

Note: If any user, other than a moderator, clicks on a link such as what you mentioned using the standard search method under the Google CSE, they see the standard error message..

Quote:

---

You do not have permission to access this page. This could be due to one of several reasons:

1. Your user account may not have sufficient privileges to access this page. Are you trying to edit someone else's post, access administrative features or some other privileged system?

2. If you are trying to post, the administrator may have disabled your account, or it may be awaiting activation.

---

I'll check again with Google and see if they have any options to restrict their Google CSE content, but I doubt it ....

Thanks for the feedback ... :cheers:

Regards,
Doug

Update..... ;)

I have made a formal written request to Google to remove all web pages cached from our site that involve the misc.php page. I also added the same page in our site's robots.txt file as a disallow statement, to theoretically block all "bots" like Google from accessing it.

I will let you know if I hear anything back from Google, or observe any changes to this content in the next few months, as it will probably take them that long to get to it, if at all. :lol:

Regards,
Doug