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Google Tracking Frequent Users
BrianGa writes "According to this article, Google has started placing
a counter on its home page for a small number of its most frequent users.
Most Google users do not have it, but a select few now have a counter that notes
the actual number of searches made. For the curious, an explanatory page
linked to the counter reveals that this is a test, or limited-sample experiment
of a new search counting feature."
Yes - kind-of, I guess it's more cookie + ip based. And "Google Tracking Frequent Users" is a bit inaccurate as a title - google tracks all users (how else would they know when you have become a frequent user?) they are just displaying some of the information they gather to the frequent users (they can just as easily display it for all users since it's there anyway).
Which begs the question - how is this news except that google is finally visibly using some of the information they gather to display it to the users?
Did you know that if you install its toolbar and use the advanced features of it (u do by default), it tracks EVERY URL you visit and send it to google servers? Its anonymous so I dont see the harm of it. Google is trying to be better and as long as it doesnt use it powers for doing wrong - I find their technology enlightening.
Dont just mail it - Maileet
So soon I'll have a good idea how often I use Google. Then I realise it is very valuable. Then I'm more nclinced to start to pay for it....
I'm scared.
-- "Can't sleep, clowns will eat me!"
Um, like everyone?
"Much work is lost, for the lack of a little more." -Edward H. Harriman
google "tracks" the whole dagum internet and your worried about them "tracking" you?
I put track in quotes because associating totals and whatever data with ip addresses isn't exactly a spycam in your bedroom.
bite my glorious golden ass.
This counter is really nothing new. Google states in their privacy policy that they already use cookies to track your usage. And if you use their toolbar (an extremely useful tool), you sent them info on every single website you visit, not just the intentional searches. But Goggle has given clear warning up front of what info would be shared and gives you the ability to disable it and still use the toolbar if you want. Privacy is, and should be, a concern here. But Google appears to be handling it responsibly so far.
Phoenix
My ISP (internet express in regional NSW, australia) receently entered into a contract with MSN to supply search services and with altavista and google search pages only the MSN one comes up instead
Which ISP, pray tell?
If this is true, then given its illegaility, I would be contacting my friends at the ACCC over this.
and their EULA is the clearest i've ever seen, from memory, it actually says words to the effect of "stop! don't just click "next"! this is actually worth reading" in large, friendly letters on the cover.
They already use cookies containing a user id. So why the sudden privacy concerns in the article?
They could already log your searches if they wanted to. The only difference now is a counter is shown to the user.
your previous searches were a, b and c...
I see the following coming:
"Other people who searched for a, also searched for b, c and d."
A monkey is doing the real work for me.
I don't know about you but this article had a hint of sensationalist feel to it, like those TV blurbs: "Breaking News! Your every move tracked! (Tune in at 11 for details)"
The fact is cookies are a very widely used thing, and to paint the picture of google somehow being underhand for "secretly installing this counter on millions of hard drives" is a bit of a stretch. For one thing, it's optional: you can configure most browsers to disallow or block cookies. And it's hardly unique to google, I bet you couldn't find a major media/news web site out there that doesn't use cookies in some form or another. You probably have hundreds of them in your cookie jar, unless you've diabled them in your browser.
And then to equate this to spying? That would be like saying, "Company Foo installed a closed-circuit camera in their lobby! OMG! They can tell everywhere you've been inside their building!" The whole cookie exchange is based on the browser voluntarily accepting it when contacting a server, there's really nothing underhanded about it. And the rules of how cookies work were devised specifically in such a way so that "domain.com" only has access to cookies set for "domain.com" and its subdomains. So the only thing they're tracking is your use of their server, which they already have the logs for anyway.
What's next, some reporter stumbles onto the 'Referer' and 'User-Agent' fields in the HTTP headers, and writes some garbage piece about how "Internet sites secretly know where you came from when you load their page! ANd they know what operating system and browser you use! It's a giant conspiracy, your privacy is at stake!"
If I caught my wife going through my sock drawer I'd say, "Ummmm, looking for something in particular?"
If I caught the FBI going through my sock drawer I'd call my lawyer.
KFG
You could also ask why the world is so concerned about Iraq having Weapons of Mass Destruction when the US undoubtably has far greater Weapons of Mass Destruction at their disposal.
It's not just a matter of who has what, it's about which company has shown more respect for the concerns of their customers and in this case that is Google.
The counter is cookie based. Cookies are simple text files on the users's machines. You can simply open these cookies in notepad and fill in any number you like :)
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- - You can't take something off the Internet! That's like trying to take pee out of a swimming pool.