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.

[webdude]

I am still trying to figure out what this is really good for?!?! I can see wanting PS when I wish to go to an e-com site that I have been to before, but I am looking for a new product. But from an informational point of view, I think it's totally bogus. Take, for example, when doing any type of research, fact finding, looking for new information, writing a paper etc., when looking at multiple phrases like blue widget, red widget, history of widgets, big widgets, small widgets, etc., I am getting...

Been There
Done That
Already Looked Here
Same Stuff
etc.
etc.
etc.

I thought that the reason a user changes a phrase is to get new and fresh results? I already know of the sites I have already taken a look at... what I use the SEs for is to find new and different information that I didn't know existed. This may change the amount of clicks that are generated on page 2 of the SERPs as people try to find different results.

Pretty user friendly, eh?

[whitenight]

As predicted earlier in this thread,

The NSA has teamed up with Google [washingtonpost.com]

"The critical question is: At what level will the American public be comfortable with Google sharing information with NSA?" said Ellen McCarthy, president of the Intelligence and National Security Alliance, an organization of current and former intelligence and national security officials that seeks ways to foster greater sharing of information between government and industry.

Wow, the two most secretive and arrogant organizations in the world having UNLIMITED access and unchecked power to everyone's information.

"That's nothing to be worried about" remarked George Orwell, on the subject

[Reno]

The NSA has teamed up with Google

It's like 2 co-workers who share a mutual attraction and start out just meeting for a "quick drink" after work -- it's just a matter of time before they end up in bed.

.............................

[Eurydice]

This is a after-the-fact announcement to dispel the before-the-public-notice arrangement. Typical Washington maneuver.

Google gave the NSA access to Google accounts as part of the 2001 Patriot Act (i.e., 9 years ago). By announcing this now, they can say in the future that they had announced this, so they can pretend it's a non-issue.

It's official. The NSA is using Google to monitor the web.

[kevsta]

have you seen this SE? ixquick.com

its really rather good, and they have a different slant on privacy. from their site

Ixquick’s position: You have a right to privacy.

Your search data should never fall into the wrong hands.
The only real solution is quickly deleting your data or not storing them to begin with.

In June 2006 we started to delete our users’ privacy data within 48 hrs.

As of January 2009 we do not even record our users’ IP addresses at all anymore.

We are the first and only search engine to do so.

Our initiative is receiving an overwhelmingly positive response!

its ok for about 95% of the searches I need to do.

[Reno]

I found Ixquick many years ago and agree they are very good, but in light of recent developments re privacy, here's my question about them and other metasearch services:

Because they do not have their own datacenters and are thus referencing the actual search engines to get their results -- in this case Yahoo, Bing, Gigablast, AlltheWeb, Open Directory, Cuil and others -- does our IP stop with Ixquick or does it get passed onto the search engine itself as part of the request? I would guess that it does not get passed on, but admit I'm not 100% sure about that.

...............

[dstiles]

Ixquick is the same as startpage.com, which is ixquick using a more memorable name. I use startpage because it's easier to tell people on the phone.

They say it's the "only search engine that does not record your IP address." Not sure if it usually passes on your IP but I suspect it does, since they offer a proxy link against each result. They have a long page on privacy - too long to read at present. :)

They delete data within 48 hours and use only a single anonymous cookie to keep your preferences in.

It's now my default SE. :)

[geekie]

Google gave the NSA access to Google accounts as part of the 2001 Patriot Act (i.e., 9 years ago).

Is this true?

I think something else is coming. This just seems like a lead up to something.

[graeme_p]

I do not know if it is the same in the US, but in the EU the government can already find out everything you do online from the information your ISP is required to collect (every url you visit, the address every email you send goes to) while your phone company collects more (what numbers you dial, the location of your phone).

Evading the surveillance draws attention: the French police have already justified arresting people because they were (along with hundreds of other people) roughly in the area of the crime and did not own mobile phones so had something to hide.

[mcneely]

I might have missed it somewhere, so do excuse me if I sound at all redundant if that be the case ..

But shouldn't we be working up an addon for Fx that if installed and enabled would keep Google personalised search "turned off by default"?