it is everyone's fault
the browser does indeed pass on the referrer URL in HTTP_REFERRER
this stops people doing things like leeching comics from the sunday paper pages
google/yahoo/bing/whoever does _not_need_to_ set their search result pages to include the search query ... but it does, which is the point, really - and if you can, do check what it really does pass as the referrer, and it's not the URL at the top of the page, it's a modified HTTP_REFERRER containing a suspiciously unchanging string of letters and numbers at the end per machine query sent from.
web developer toolbar on FF has the option to disable referrer, works too
people are generally surprised if not infuriated to learn what they enter into one place ends up in another without due warning - sharing with one entity does not automatically bring to mind sharing with the world - and suggesting that's just how it is/always was is pretty naive.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
