"When Firefox makes use of SSL Search, you're still allowing all those advertisers to see the search data that supposedly is too sensitive to leak out to non-advertisers," Sullivan . "If you really wanted to make SSL Search as Google could have--and should have--made it, then Firefox would stop passing referrers."

Asa Dotzler, community coordinator for Firefox marketing projects, disagrees with Sullivan and claims that he's "missed the point."

"Danny, you misunderstood what SSL search is trying to accomplish," Dotzler . "We've made the connection between the user and Google secure from snooping. That's what SSL does and that's why we've implemented it. Google can do what ever it wants with the data once it gets it, but the bad guys sniffing your wi-fi connection cannot get at your information."

In other words, Firefox 14 makes your data safe from the "bad guys," but not from Google--who turns it right on over to advertisers.

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