Googles Eye Spy

[martymas]

has any one posted this or read this google article

i dont use it ever since loud mouthed mr bush

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Google Knows What You did Last Night

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Google Inc. is experimenting with a new feature that enables the

users of its online search engine to see all of their past search

requests and results, creating a computer peephole that could prove

as embarrassing as it is helpful.

The service allows users to decide if they want Google to

automatically recognize them without having to log in each time they

use the same computer. Those who prefer to log in on each visit can

use a link that will appear in the right-hand corner of Google's

home page.

Whenever a user is logged in, Google will provide a detailed look at

all their past search activity. The service also includes a "pause"

feature that prevents it from being displayed in the index.

Users will be able to pinpoint a search conducted on a particular

day, using a calendar that's displayed on the history page. The

service sometimes will point out a past search result related to a

new search request.

Google is hoping the service becomes so valuable that people will

use its search engine even more frequently than they already do,

giving the company more opportunities to display text-based ads that

boost its profits.

"We think there is some value in providing people with visibility

into their past activity on Google," said Marissa Mayer, the

company's director of consumer Web products.

But privacy rights expert Pam Dixon is worried the service will make

it easier for mischief makers, snoops and perhaps even the

government to get their hands on a user's entire search history.

"It's really a bad idea," said Dixon, executive director of the

World Privacy Forum. "If you need to keep track of your past

searches, I recommend using a notebook. It would be a lot more

private and a lot less risky."

Mountain View-based Google believes the service has adequately

addressed privacy concerns, although Mayer conceded people who share

a computer might not want to use the service. "This isn't for

someone who is particularly sloppy about signing in and signing

off," she said. "You have to have very good computer hygiene to use

this."

The online service is designed to store years of each individual's

search activity, although users can remove selected links from their

personal archive at any time.

Because the history feature requires an individual login, it could

help Google better understand each user so it can customize its

results to reflect a person's specific interests, said industry

analyst Charlene Li of Forrester Research.

But Li doubts Google's latest feature will have mass appeal. "I

don't think this is going to be very important to the average

person," Li said. "Most people are kind of paranoid, so they are

going to be wondering, 'Why should I give all my information to

Google?'"

[echobay]

How ya doing marty...i already TAUNTED you in another post about using GOOGLE

Thanks for the read...When they start telling me things like ...Where i put my depends coupon and where the heck my glasses are ... Then they'll be my hero

i'm saying when i'm old and grey ...they can have my info...i'm boring anyway!

[robroy]

I'm already old and grey but they aren't getting my info anyway

[martymas]

actually dont use google my self this was sent to me by a freind .

one of the reasons i uninstalled firefox was because i coulnd get ri of the .

google search bar.

ive been at this game for so long now .

i dont have to use google .

i only amswer the posts i know the answer to.

like you im to old in the head for all that b-----t now

when i was at techtv cfh

i critersized the bush goverment .

and whe i discovered google was keeping an eye on these message boards .

that scared the s----t out of me

i was told to type my last, i think it was my descending posts .at techtv

and did i get a shock when one of those posts was that critisism of bush.

so i regard google as a goverment spy.

f------ em

marty

[bar5]

Thanks Marty.

I just read this yesterday. Scary isn't it?

Barb

[TheTerrorist_75]

Every search engine keeps your online use recorded. Just type your user name or real name in any search engine and you will find many things you posted. If you aren't being subversive in trying to aid terrorism or enjoy kiddie porn why worry? If the government wanted to find out anything about you they would already know it. Anyone who is totally paranoid would be running Dban on their PCs every night after using it. I can speak from personal experience what it's like to disappear because of not wanting to be found by the feds. After I found out it's best to deal with your problems and behave it feels good to unburden oneself of those paranoiac feelings.

[macmarauder]

totally true, as i've stated before if someone really wanted to know anything about you they can with just a little effort. even see what you've previously searched for on search engines. when it comes down to it, if your just regular joe blow than nobody cares. besides you get far more damaging information with current spyware than online searches.

but yes i think it's still wrong for them to keep such tracks of you.

[martymas]

some time back Jeff came on the board and

explained how google was using this info.

if i remember right, some one accused him of feeding the info to google.

but he explained just what is in my link.

to the article.

that is what made me aware of this google thing.

i havent used google for some time now.

it is my personal choice.i really dont give a s---- what people think about it.

choices are personal.i feel sorry for jeff being accused of some thing like this.

google dosent need info from people they get it like it or not.

marty

[Chachazz]

Why look who's visiting this afternoon

[tenmm]

Why look who's visiting this afternoon 

I see that quite often,the time of day has not been a factor.

I have seen it in the early morning to late night.

As a matter of fact I posted this awhile back.

While it is not about Google as posted Google did get a mention.

[jcl]

i havent used google for some time now.

it is my personal choice.i really dont give a s---- what people think about it.

choices are personal.i feel sorry for jeff being accused of some thing like this.

google dosent need info from people they get it like it or not.

Far be it from me to tell you not to hate Google -- I've muttered my share of obscenities at them for GoogleGroups and GoogleNews -- but the individual sites are responsible for what's indexed. Google nominally obeys the robot exclusion protocol, so a robots.txt file containing

User-Agent: *
Disallow: /

should prevent the GoogleBot (and every other search bot) from indexing a site. If it doesn't, any sort of authentication will stop it. Otherwise Google does what any good search engine does and indexes (almost) every page it can find. Try running your handle though AlltheWeb, Yahoo!, or especially MSN Search and you'll see similar results.

The history tracking is even easier to dispose of. The use it you have to create a Google account and then stay logged-in, and it can be disabled easily enough. It wouldn't be practical to foist it on people -- there's no way to identify users without accounts -- so if you don't want it you don't get it. I expect MSN and Yahoo! will offer similar services in the future.

On a related note, a tale of the Google of the future. (No, not that one.)

Edited April 25, 2005 by jcl

[Vile_DR]

This is definitely a d*mned subject because of its subjectivity, but I have used google quite a bit and use its email system. I don't send out gmail invites, and I don't tell anyone google is better than the next search engine because of stunts like this. I don't believe that is makes sense for google to maintain user search history, or visits forums such as besttechie.net. If I run a search on google I get the information I need, and then i am done with that particular search...why run it again....??? ...

As many of you have said, and especially on Marty side, I think Google and some of the other search engines are going to become more a conspiracy creator than anything else. Dirt on you, your neighbor, your counter part in another life are all going to be found out through a d*mn search engine...easy as pie...

[thesidekickcat]

I posted this on another thread where Marty mentioned his concerns about Google tracking people.

Quote: I am not to keen on Google (bots) getting all the thread/post info on message boards either Marty. But they do it whether we use Google or not. For instance the little bots travel all through message boards looking for new stuff to update Google, so that people searching for something can find whatever we have said about it. I can see good coming from it, for instance when I want an answer to something I Google for it and often it (answer) is in a message board thread so the collective intelligence helps us all solve tech or whatever problems.

But it unnerves me to do a search of my screen names and see the tons of posts I have made, which if someone wanted to collect bits and pieces of slips of private info I have put in a post here and a post there etc etc etc they could put together a dossier on me or anyone. So that seems scary to me, and when I remember it I try to be more careful but soon forget it and go back to just posting like it just a few people reading it when it could be anyone or everyone or no one reading it. So it ends up us being a part of the world of message boarding and of search engines collecting it all and that is just the way things are. Compared to those companies, like Choice Point, in the news recently that are letting people steal ids by pretending to use their id data collection services legitimately, I think the little bits and pieces that Google etc bots collect from message board threads/posts is relatively harmless. That is until it is exploited then we all can start to worry again.Unquote.

I am getting concerned as Google ads more and more specialized services such as already mentioned, that can do searches of your stored email accounts, your computer files, and now your Google searches. Yes it is a non-government public company, But it seems to me that is alot of collective information that could be used in a harmful way against people if it gets in the wrong hands.

I don't think the government is as much of a worry as the possible wrong use by people in the Google organization.

We have had our credit card identity stolen, and it had to be an inside job in the credit card company due to what info was used by the thieves to get new card, and changed address. Even the security man at the credit card company told me it was a probable inside job.

So if someone signs up for all these Google services, especially the one to have them install a search thing for your computer where your private files and personal info is stored, or if you uploaded that info to the GMail account for backup storage and sign up for gmail search, then you could be setting yourself up for trouble if a rogue employee got the info on accounts and used it to harm you in id theft or stalker or other evil plot. I am not trying to be paranoid here, but it happened to us on a credit card account, so it could happen in this situation too.

Be aware of what you sign up for, and look at how it could harm you

even as it says it will help you.

God bless everyone.

[jcl]

But it unnerves me to do a search of my screen names and see the tons of posts I have made, which if someone wanted to collect bits and pieces of slips of private info I have put in a post here and a post there etc etc etc they could put together a dossier on me or anyone. So that seems scary to me, and when I remember it I try to be more careful but soon forget it and go back to just posting like it just a few people reading it when it could be anyone or everyone or no one reading it.

Indeed. Those of you are concerned about this sort of thing might want take a look at the effect GoogleGroups, nee DejaNews, has had on Usenet. There you have over a billion posts by millions of authors stretching back 24 years. There were a lot of people who participated in Usenet believing their posts were ephemeral and only much later discovered that they were being archived and indexed. The result is a vast amount of increadibly embarrassing information at your fingertips. There have been great debates about privacy, anonymity, and intellectual property that directly address most of the concerns I've seen expressed here (the forums I mean, not just this thread).

I don't think the government is as much of a worry as the possible wrong use by people in the Google organization.

Again, indeed. That's an inherent feature of the Internet. Nothing anyone does online is guarantied to be private. For example, ISPs can and occasionally do monitor their customers. There have been cases of employees at ISPs killing time by browsing customer email accounts (one of which lead to an interesting court case and ultimately a ruling that roughly said that email isn't protected by wiretap laws unless it's actually on a wire). If anything Google should be more trustworthy because they're in an extremely competitive market that's based almost entirely on reputation. Even an accusation of wrongdoing could be catastrophic.

In the end I think people are just going to have to accept that when you're online you're a public place. You can attempt to seclude yourself if you need some measure of privacy, but that will only stop casual observers. The illusion of privacy is what makes the reality of publicity dangerous.

[macmarauder]

But it unnerves me to do a search of my screen names and see the tons of posts I have made, which if someone wanted to collect bits and pieces of slips of private info I have put in a post here and a post there etc etc etc they could put together a dossier on me or anyone. So that seems scary to me, and when I remember it I try to be more careful but soon forget it and go back to just posting like it just a few people reading it when it could be anyone or everyone or no one reading it.

Indeed. Those of you are concerned about this sort of thing might want take a look at the effect GoogleGroups, nee DejaNews, has had on Usenet. There you have over a billion posts by millions of authors stretching back 24 years. There were a lot of people who participated in Usenet believing their posts were ephemeral and only much later discovered that they were being archived and indexed. The result is a vast amount of increadibly embarrassing information at your fingertips. There have been great debates about privacy, anonymity, and intellectual property that directly address most of the concerns I've seen expressed here (the forums I mean, not just this thread).

yep jcl is totally right. i'm younger than most of you but imagine how i feel, i've been floating around the net since 1990 with the same screen name. i've even had entire web sites and backups zeroed out to. but today it's almost impossible to not leave your self out there and it's only getting worse.