Forum Moderators: Robert Charlton & goodroi
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.
"Personalized Search" is "Behavioral Targeted Advertising" in a new set of clothes. Google did not want to face the same fight that Phrom and others have.
Since Google sold its soul and incorporated ads every change they have made seems to be to benefit Google to the detriment of users. Basically they have got a "how much can we get away with" attitude to their users. They are squeezing the teets of their cash cow so hard they are close to pulling them off.
Cheers
Sid
I am stunned though that Google can do something like this without any backlash from privacy advocates. I cannot see them getting away with it in Europe. They will get away with it in the US because they are BIG business and BIG business can do what they like unless of course you are Microsoft and everybody hates you but that's another story. Unless Google stops being the darling of Wall Street they can do what they like and they do
I brought up the Google privacy issue a couple of years ago with our local linux group. Nobody really cared - and those folks are the types that would care. I just raised the subject again with them surrounding the Google DNS and this time they did care - a lot.
It seems like it just takes a while to sink in. And concerns need to start at the grassroots level.
It seems like it just takes a while to sink in. And concerns need to start at the grassroots level.
That is exactly what needs to happen.
Talk to people about SERPS and their eyes glaze over.
Tell them that Google is tracking and logging every thing they do on the Internet and they suddenly listen.
My daughter is an avid Googler, or was. I tested the waters with her and told her about Google’s new personalized serps and how they are now tracking every thing you do. She switched her homepage to Bing.
That is what needs to happen. Tell your friends, neighbor, clients, etc. anybody who will listen and before you know it the mainstream media will pick up on it and run with it.
Then sit back and watch their share of the market dwindle because they are just too egotistical in the plex to admit a mistake.
If however you just sit back and do nothing other than complain in forums full of webmasters, nothing is going to happen.
That is what needs to happen. Tell your friends, neighbor, clients, etc. anybody who will listen and before you know it the mainstream media will pick up on it and run with it.
If however you just sit back and do nothing other than complain in forums full of webmasters, nothing is going to happen.
Yep.
And as a free bonus make them switch to Firefox and show them how to disable all the nasty ads and tracking scripts from MV (Adsense, Doubleclick, Analytics). Not only will their browsing experience be much better (faster, less cluttered pages), they also will have the good feeling of being less trackable.
I say it again: we as webmasters have still a significant portion of the eyeballs, through our content (something that Google does not have). WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT THIS on our sites, in our blogs, articles, tweets, and on Facebook.
Marissa Mayer: An omnivorous Google is coming [telegraph.co.uk]
But it is the personalisation of search where Mayer sees the real future of Google’s powerful engine. “Although we search the web right now, what we really want to do is search it as each individual user sees the web. We want Google to be the most accurate reference tool which allows people to search the web and each have an individual experience,” she says.Mayer thinks the key will be when Google can include people’s friends’ personal updates from social networks such as Facebook in search and serve these results personally to the correct people. Right now Google can only include the updates and information from these networks if the users’ privacy settings are ‘public’. According to Mayer – the ideal will be to get access to your friend’s updates in search: “Understanding the social network structure and the permission rules around social networks status updates when they are not public – will really empower us in terms of search.”
However, with the increased personalisation of search, come a whole set of major privacy issues. The recent personalisation of search for all, not just those logged into the engine, means Google will serve everyone customised results based on people’s previous searches – information it stores for up to 180 days – unless the user opts out. But with many people not even realising how search is changing, or that they now need to opt out of something – what data does Google have and what assurances are there that it won’t disclose this information to third parties.
Mayer grows defensive when the privacy issue is raised. “Because personalised search is cookie based, there is no personally identifiable information. All we know is that a search came from a certain computer – but nothing about the users’ identity.
With all the information Gorg collects via their other "offerings" how long would it take most of us to string together the user's identity of that certain computer ?
but then translated those sites in full when you clicked through.”
The ultimate prize for Mayer is intuitive search. She wants Google to be capable of presenting information to users before they even know what they're looking for.
Gorg certainly has a clear understanding of the herd mentality of most people.... don't think, just follow the lead bull, eh sorry ... Gorg
PS : mods, if I quoted too much of this article, please delete. Thank you.
With all the information Gorg collects via their other "offerings" how long would it take most of us to string together the user's identity of that certain computer ?
