And the host here and on nearly every major website in the world makes it easy for them.
Every page here runs a google-analytics Java'spy bot'... a 'freebie' given to website designers to give them free statistical analysis of their visitors.... But if you allow it to run on your browser, it tracks your every mouse move, your every keyboard stroke, how long you spent on the page, etc. And that information is just for the webmaster, but sold to anyone with the money and interest to rent the info from Google. And, I assume, given to the NSA- CIA-FBI.
At least at FR, you don't HAVE to allow the spy-bot to run. More and more websites are not allowing you to see anything but a blank page unless you let the google crap run.
I recently ended a ~30 year $2,000 to $10,000 a year relationship with a firearms related business (Midway) because they are one of those who will now show you nothing but a blank page unless you let several Google 'Bots' run.
And google analytics is only a small part of the potential google spy stuff... I have seen websites that have more than fifty google java apps /scripts run on every page.
Firefox (and some clone browsers) users can install the 'No-Script' add-on and somewhat protect themselves.
How can you tell what is running?
"And that information is just for the webmaster....",
Should read:
And that information is NOT just for the webmaster,