more on Another new Google twist..

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: Lauren Weinstein <lauren () vortex com>
Date: January 9, 2006 2:41:01 PM EST
To: dave () farber net
Cc: capek () ieee net
Subject: Re: [IP] Another new Google twist..

This is not entirely a straightforward situation.  First, such
history displays are almost certainly based on cookies, so persons
who do not allow Google cookies are unlikely to see such output.
(Note however that this is a separate issue from Google's internal
logs of user search activity presumably tied to IP addresses.)

Also -- at least for users with Google cookies turned off -- Google
does not always link internally for search results.  That is, for
most search results you are taken directly to the site that you click
on, not via an internal Google link that would reveal to Google
which sites you had chosen to visit.

As I've noted in the past, Google has tended to "seed" some search
results with internal tracking links -- these tend to appear in
clusters -- but typically these have been a small percentage of the
total search results.  Some other search engines routinely seed *all*
results with internal tracking links, by the way.

The above is based on my current understanding, especially as relates
to non-cookie Google users.  Users who routinely allow Google cookies,
or who are using other Google search products (toolbars, etc.), may
see other effects.

--Lauren--
Lauren Weinstein
lauren () pfir org or lauren () vortex com or lauren () eepi org
Tel: +1 (818) 225-2800
http://www.pfir.org/lauren
Co-Founder, PFIR
  - People For Internet Responsibility - http://www.pfir.org
Co-Founder, EEPI
  - Electronic Entertainment Policy Initiative - http://www.eepi.org
Moderator, PRIVACY Forum - http://www.vortex.com
Member, ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy
Lauren's Blog: http://lauren.vortex.com
DayThink: http://daythink.vortex.com

 - - -

> Begin forwarded message:
>
> From: Peter Capek <capek () ieee org>
> Date: January 9, 2006 12:12:56 PM EST
> To: dave () farber net
> Subject: Another new Google twist..
>
> I noticed over the weekend that Google search results now indicate
> whether, and when,
> you last visited a site that's returned as a result.  So, if you re-
> do a search that you did
> a few days ago, you can see which of the earlier sites you visited.
> The information appears
> as a date, or if the earlier visit was today, a time, to the right of
> the main line of the search
> result.  I haven't found any mention of this addition in a cursory
> check on the Google ste.
>
> This is perhaps most interesting because it will make it apparent
> even to casual users that
> Google retaining this history, and is able to observe which sites you
> visit from their search
> results.  A propos of today's earlier discussion, this history
> keeping is not confused by the
> prefetching of the first search result.
>
>                   Peter Capek


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