Personalized Search Now Default

SEO and Privacy forever changed

[incrediBILL]

Google Blog [googleblog.blogspot.com]

Today we're helping people get better search results by extending Personalized Search to signed-out users worldwide

That's a staggering statement meaning that every computer accessing Google is now being personalized, signed in or not, so any desktop, laptop or kiosk will start tracking everything everyone does and you won't be able to access the same search results from any two machines.

The possible impact to all is staggering.

[dusky]

Oh, not forgetting, they all use each others laptops most times, Joe senior bought 4 identical ones, so the cookies are sporadically all mingled up in each other's machines!

[signor_john]

Now how's G* is going personalize to all four of the family? ... I can see the language and country or region maybe possible, nothing else, so the outcome will be chaos.

If it's chaos, won't Google have to either pull back or lose market share? (IMHO, it's unlikely that Google would continue to push a product that was driving users to other search engines.)

[Leosghost]

To all those who keep mentioning what comcast does or what netflix does etc ..

We are not all in the USA so that is irrelevant..
Gorgs new silent default opt in policy is illegal in a least the EU ..and certain aspects of it may well as pointed out by lexipixel with regards to the 18 year old ( tracking of minors ) question be illegal in the USA also ..
What you as an adult agree to or not with comcast or your local ISP does not affect the law in another country ..or even your own..

[Hissingsid]

The last time I asked my Adwords rep why they wouldn't tell "on average how many repeat clicks on one of my ads does a user do" I was told "we couldn't tell you that without breaching data protection laws". I didn't want to know the IP address of the person or what the unique ID of the person was all I wanted to know was the statistical average. I know various ways to get this information but it would be much handier if it was a column on my Adwords account.

When they want to make lame excuses they hide behind data protection but when they are using data for their own ends they are very happy to do so without fear of redress. I know I can set a cookie myself and collect IPs and repeat visits or analyse my log files but why won't Google give me the one piece of data I really want? I think we all know the answer.

Cheers

Sid

[walkman]

Google CEO:
"If you have something that you don't want anyone to know, maybe you shouldn't be doing it in the first place."

Is that a license for one to take his laptop and post the contents (minus trade secrets) online? I am sure he is an upstanding citizen with nothing to hide.

[signor_john]

Is that a license for one to take his laptop and post the contents (minus trade secrets) online? I am sure he is an upstanding citizen with nothing to hide.

And that has what to do with Google Personalized Search? (Surely you aren't under the impression that Google Search is posting users' tracking data online for all the world to see?)

[walkman]

And that has what to do with Google Personalized Search? (Surely you aren't under the impression that Google Search is posting users' tracking data online for all the world to see?)

His quote and apparently his attitude:
"If you have something that you don't want anyone to know, maybe you shouldn't be doing it in the first place."

Is he hiding anything in his laptop? I doubt it

[Leosghost]

His attitude is disturbing ..to say the least

but the immediate point is ..

you need to be more worried about what he is hiding in your laptop with his silent default optin cookie ..because he sure isn't telling you that he puts the cookie in there

unless you count mentioning it on an obscure blog on a friday ..as informing the worldwide public ..

I dont ..nor do many legal authorities ..and governments

[surfer67]

I just visited a website that sells boots and from there visited a site about how to install a tile floor and the ads on the tile floor site were all ads for boots.

[carguy84]

I had no idea Google fanboys existed. Apple yes, Google no.

~

I have no problem with the privacy concerns, I have a problem with the worse search results.