GoDaddy Inserts JavaScript Into Customer Websites Resulting In Slower Site Performance Or Broken/Inoperable Website (#GotBitcoin?)
GoDaddy injecting site-breaking JavaScript into customer websites, here’s a fix. GoDaddy Inserts JavaScript Into Customer Websites Resulting In Slower Site Performance Or Broken/Inoperable Website (#GotBitcoin?)
GoDaddy is injecting analytics scripts into websites hosted on their systems to track users. Here’s how to opt-out.
Popular web hosting service GoDaddy has started injecting a JavaScript file into the web pages it hosts, according to Australian technology consultant Igor Kromin. GoDaddy’s analytics system is based on W3C Navigation Timing, but the company’s practice of unilaterally opting in paying customers to an analytics service–tracking the visitors to websites hosted on GoDaddy services–without forewarning is deserving of criticism.
GoDaddy claims the technology, which it calls “Real User Metrics” (RUM), “[allows] us to identify internal bottlenecks and optimization opportunities by inserting a small snippet of javascript code into customer websites,” that will “measure and track the performance of your website, and collects information such as connection time and page load time,” adding that the script does not collect user information.
The script name “Real User Metrics” is somewhat at odds with that claim; likewise, GoDaddy provides no definition of “user information.”
GoDaddy claims “most customers won’t experience issues when opted-in to RUM, but the JavaScript used may cause issues including slower site performance, or a broken/inoperable website,” particularly for users of Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP), and websites with pages containing multiple ending tags.
Customers of GoDaddy can opt out of RUM by going to myh.godaddy.com, logging in, and clicking on the hosting account that you want to exclude. From there, click the “…” button, and “Help Us,” the click “Opt Out.” The script will be removed immediately from your website when opting out.
Kromin notes that he is “not against web host providers monitoring how their servers are running,” but that “Injecting JavaScript into pages being served is far from passive and… a violation of trust between the web host and the customer.”
GoDaddy provided this statement to TechRepublic’s sister site ZDNet:
“We created a Real User Metrics (RUM) JavaScript to improve our hosting environment for our customers.
The script is a non-invasive performance monitor that enables us to measure and track the performance of customer websites, and collects information, such as connection time and page load time.
We only collect performance data, nothing more.
We don’t collect personal information. The data we collect is used to monitor our internal systems, optimize DNS resolution, improve network routing and server configurations, and help us improve the performance of our customers’ websites.
After careful review of the concerns being raised around this program, we have decided to turn off the Javascript insertion on our hosting platform immediately.
We will reintroduce this program in the future, so that it is on an opt-in only basis.
We apologize for any confusion and inconvenience to our customers.”
The Big Takeaways For Tech Leaders:
- GoDaddy is injecting JavaScript into customers of paid hosting services to “identify internal bottlenecks and optimization opportunities.” This is an opt-out feature.
- The script is known to cause performance regressions for customers.
GoDaddy Has Now Promised To Turn Off The Feature — At Least, For Now
GoDaddy is injecting JavaScript into customer websites for the purposes of tracking which may slow down websites or break them entirely.
According to programmer Igor Kromin, issues with his own website’s admin interface, hosted by the popular web hosting service, prompted him to examine the code to detect any problems.
Upon investigation, Kromin uncovered the failed loading effort of a JavaScript file, which implied an unknown JavaScript file had been loaded on his website. (Ironically, the issue at fault originally was a Safari bug rather than anything to do with GoDaddy.)
While there was little evidence of this file in source code or templates, all of his website’s pages were being served with JavaScript.
The file in question is from GoDaddy’s Real User Metrics (RUM) system, which the company describes as a means to “identify internal bottlenecks and optimization opportunities by inserting a small snippet of javascript code into customer websites.”
“The snippet of JavaScript code allows us to measure and track the performance of your website, and collects information such as connection time and page load time,” GoDaddy added. “We don’t collect any user information with RUM. The data we collect allows us to improve our systems, optimize DNS resolution, improve network routing and server configurations.”
Customers in the United States and those using cPanel Shared Hosting or cPanel Business were automatically opted-in to the service.
The collection of metrics and performance data is a common practice for many, and some webmasters will bolt-on their own collection systems in backend systems for increased visibility into how their website is performing.
However, GoDaddy publicly admitted that the JavaScript code may impact website performance and so users should be aware of what might be causing slowdowns or outright breakages.
“The JavaScript used may cause issues including slower site performance, or a broken/inoperable website,” GoDaddy says.
The system at hand is based on W3C Navigation Timing and while not a security issue, if website breakage is a possibility, a default opt-in was not necessarily fair or reasonable.
Most customers are not expected to be impacted by RUM, but websites involved in Google’s AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages Project) or with pages ending with multiple ending tags might be more susceptible to breaks or slow performance issues.
“GoDaddy, a domain provider is all set to use a new technology called RUM (Real User Metrics). For RUM to work, JavaScript code has been added into the sites. By inserting JavaScript code, there could be issues like site loading slowly. “
I Found This On Reddit:
u/eventualist Oct 8, 2017, 5:59 PM
Anyone notice godaddy has throttled down all of the hosting to a point of ridiculousness?
Why? To increase revenue by saying your using too many resources and need to upgrade. Its pathetic, I can run diagnostic software and prove my wordpress site is at very BEST tops out at 24% usage. (Memory, I/O, page processes, etc).
Godaddy says the site is using 80%. Such bullshit.
My other LAMP servers on other hosts USING THE SAME FRAMEWORK/theme and approximate same content is far less. Around 15% overhead to run required scripts.
I guess im the only anal ass that tells clients: Do not host on godaddy!
They are in bottom tier…. falls on def ears. I guess models w big boobs is deafening.
My Own Personal Experience With GoDaddy (Still Ongoing):
#Godaddy I’m told by your tech. support that they are “limiting or throttling back” the performance of my site.
I was never told this until I called in.
Do you do this with all your “shared” accounts?
The CFPB Consumer Finance Protection Bureau might want to know more about this.
Jon Stanley told me that you guys were intentionally limiting or throttling back the performance of my website. How long have you been doing this and how many others customers are you doing this to and why aren’t you telling us that were paying full price for websites that are not performing according to what you’re advertising?
GoDaddy:
Hey there. We definitely don’t throttle or limit the performance on shared hosting, but there are some things to look into with your hosting resources if the site is not performing properly. I would be happy to review what you were told if you can DM us your customer number. ^K
Thanks for getting back to us. We are going to review your call with our agent and will follow up with them internally if any wrong information was given to you. In reviewing your account, it looks like what he was trying to explain was your hosting resource limits were being maxed out. It looks like it had to do with your CPU and Physical Memory. You can check out your hosting’s resource limits here: https://au.godaddy.com/help/resource-limits-12001 …
I hope this clarifies things for you. ^Kristy
Spy Gadget Rentals:
No, it doesn’t. Were you or were you not limiting my website performance, yes or no?
I remember the conversation vividly.
GoDaddy Help:
No, we do not limit your website performance. If you exceed your hosting resources, then you can see issues on the site but this is not from us limiting your performance. If our agent did mislead or give you incorrect information we will be coaching them internally. ^Kristy
Spy Gadget Rentals:
That’s proof (See the attachments) that my website is and has been working fine up until today. Hence, long drawn out phone call. I think Jon let it slip out that you guys are indeed limiting or throttling back our website performance. I’ve been monitoring your own stats for the last 4-5 days.
Spy Gadget Rentals:
Jon’s sole focus was on getting me to upgrade to a new package and/or selling me ‘WP Premium Support Catalog’ and anti-virus service.
Spy Gadget Rentals:
I actually conferenced the call between http://Web.com and GoDaddy so that we could get the equivalent or better hosting that http://Web.com was offering.
Spy Gadget Rentals:
There is no way possible that my website with little or no traffic/customers should all of a sudden need to be upgraded to another package.
Spy Gadget Rentals:
I started receiving these upgrade notices a week after signing up with you guys.
GoDaddy Help:
It appears your resource limits are fine at this time since our rep assisted you with disabling some plugins to get the resource limits back down. As I have advised, we do not throttle the website performance at all. Our reps do often make offers to customer’s on calls for products they think may be beneficial to your site and growing needs.
Spy Gadget Rentals:
Who ever sold me this package (without accompanying email hosting as promised) lied to me and caused this whole issue if it is due to my website using up too many resources.
Spy Gadget Rentals:
It was my suggestion to disable plugins as compared to purchasing additional products and services from GoDaddy.
Spy Gadget Rentals:
I want 6-12 months of free service for your people selling me an inferior hosting package. When I conferenced that first call transitioning from http://Web.com to GoDaddy he should have be paying more attention.
I’ll post this on social media and see what the public thinks about this. So, far people are “liking” it.
I’ll have the FTC or CFPB look into this further. Have a nice day.
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