1. Most of this is theoretical
2. Theoretically advertisers can build profiles of you based on the web pages you visit anyway. Referer leakage or not
- Google's targets ads based on your browsing history - that could include Search, Analytics, AdSense, DoubleClick, and a whole ton of other data they have and collect. [1]
Rapleaf tracks so much that it's actually "a challenge" not to identify people. [2]
QuantCast settled for $2.4 million for making sure their precious tracking cookies were recreated if you delete them. [3]
Facebook just tried to give apps your fricking phone number and address. [4]
Google and their referral leaking is not really "the bad guy" in all of this - there's no bad guy, just a bunch of companies consuming and analyzing as much data as they can get their hands on.
It's not evil, but is it necessary?
[1] http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/03/making-ads-more-inter...
[2] http://blog.rapleaf.com/dev/2010/07/20/anonymouse/
[3] http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2010/12/zombie-cookie-settlem...
[4] http://technolog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/01/18/5868697-face...
Gathering all this data is necessary and essential for any company who's primary product is their users personal information. (see: Google, Facebook, et al..)
And, corporations being what they are, people within that corporation will optimize to try and make as much money as possible off of that information, because it is in the corporations best interest.
[1] http://www.research-live.com/news/legal/quantcast-and-clears...
2) that's certainly true, but i'd say that means we should be concerned about those alternate methods as well, not that we shouldn't be concerned about this one.
I do not place as high a value on privacy as others. I hope that doesn't bite me in the butt someday.
