Comments on: I know what you Googled this summer, last summer, and the summer before (but not much before then) http://whereswalden.com/2009/11/07/i-know-what-you-googled-this-summer-last-summer-and-the-summer-before-but-not-much-before-then/ Mozilla, politics, economics, law, backpacking, cycling, and other random desiderata Tue, 31 Jan 2012 01:00:55 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Adam Dempsey http://whereswalden.com/2009/11/07/i-know-what-you-googled-this-summer-last-summer-and-the-summer-before-but-not-much-before-then/comment-page-1/#comment-137965 Adam Dempsey Sun, 08 Nov 2009 14:27:29 +0000 http://whereswalden.com/?p=1056#comment-137965 I've done 38859 searches since April 2005! Is quite interesting to see all of the information in one place! Look forward to seeing the other services when they get added too I’ve done 38859 searches since April 2005! Is quite interesting to see all of the information in one place! Look forward to seeing the other services when they get added too

]]> By: Anonymous http://whereswalden.com/2009/11/07/i-know-what-you-googled-this-summer-last-summer-and-the-summer-before-but-not-much-before-then/comment-page-1/#comment-137962 Anonymous Sun, 08 Nov 2009 11:51:54 +0000 http://whereswalden.com/?p=1056#comment-137962 Ah, yes. You do have to explicitly enable Web History, which tracks your searches so it can tailor your search results. I never turned that on. Ah, yes. You do have to explicitly enable Web History, which tracks your searches so it can tailor your search results. I never turned that on.

]]> By: Clochix http://whereswalden.com/2009/11/07/i-know-what-you-googled-this-summer-last-summer-and-the-summer-before-but-not-much-before-then/comment-page-1/#comment-137959 Clochix Sun, 08 Nov 2009 09:27:49 +0000 http://whereswalden.com/?p=1056#comment-137959 You say "if you don’t like the ways Google can use the information you give it, don’t use Google.". That's unfortunatly not that easy. When you send emails to people using gmail, Google can collect informations about you. When you work for a firm that use Google Apps, it's hard to refuse to use this tools. When you surf a website using Analytics ou Google Ads, Google may collect informations about you. The problem is, it's becoming harder and harder to not use Google. [C'mon, that's true any time you send an email to someone whose email is hosted on a server controlled by some other entity — Google, Microsoft, MIT in my case, etc. If you care about business use you could have a strictly business-use account, with a specific business-use cookie, to avoid entanglement with your personal life, at which point you expose no more than you do if you use any other business tool. Regarding ads, you can disable third-party cookies if you care that much. These problems are all solvable without that much effort. And in any case, do you really think Google's going to use this information against you? They want you to give them money (perhaps indirectly), and actual bad behavior (as opposed to mere packrat-ness) would have a substantial effect on their business aims. I expect Google to not be that incredibly stupid.] You say “if you don’t like the ways Google can use the information you give it, don’t use Google.”. That’s unfortunatly not that easy. When you send emails to people using gmail, Google can collect informations about you. When you work for a firm that use Google Apps, it’s hard to refuse to use this tools. When you surf a website using Analytics ou Google Ads, Google may collect informations about you. The problem is, it’s becoming harder and harder to not use Google.

[C'mon, that's true any time you send an email to someone whose email is hosted on a server controlled by some other entity — Google, Microsoft, MIT in my case, etc. If you care about business use you could have a strictly business-use account, with a specific business-use cookie, to avoid entanglement with your personal life, at which point you expose no more than you do if you use any other business tool. Regarding ads, you can disable third-party cookies if you care that much. These problems are all solvable without that much effort. And in any case, do you really think Google's going to use this information against you? They want you to give them money (perhaps indirectly), and actual bad behavior (as opposed to mere packrat-ness) would have a substantial effect on their business aims. I expect Google to not be that incredibly stupid.]

]]> By: Smokey Ardisson http://whereswalden.com/2009/11/07/i-know-what-you-googled-this-summer-last-summer-and-the-summer-before-but-not-much-before-then/comment-page-1/#comment-137957 Smokey Ardisson Sun, 08 Nov 2009 05:58:34 +0000 http://whereswalden.com/?p=1056#comment-137957 I don’t have a “Web History” heading on my dashboard, either; have I somehow escaped tracking, or are they still tallying all my queries? :P What’s most interesting to me is how many services I have listed where I don’t remember creating accounts or logging in/using and which show essentially no activity: Chat, Picasa, Talk, Contacts, and Google Subscribed Links (this last one in my “10 other products”). I also find it interesting that it’s "IGoogle" in the heading but "iGoogle" in the right-hand links. I’d be curious to see how many times I’ve used Google Translate, though; there seems to be no tracking of that (or I’ve again escaped tracking). [Hm, maybe Web History was something I explicitly enabled at some point. Curious... I noticed the iGoogle thing as well when copying text from the dashboard to compile the list of all views; I'm assuming it's just a gaffe on Google's part.] I don’t have a “Web History” heading on my dashboard, either; have I somehow escaped tracking, or are they still tallying all my queries? :P

What’s most interesting to me is how many services I have listed where I don’t remember creating accounts or logging in/using and which show essentially no activity: Chat, Picasa, Talk, Contacts, and Google Subscribed Links (this last one in my “10 other products”). I also find it interesting that it’s “IGoogle” in the heading but “iGoogle” in the right-hand links.

I’d be curious to see how many times I’ve used Google Translate, though; there seems to be no tracking of that (or I’ve again escaped tracking).

[Hm, maybe Web History was something I explicitly enabled at some point. Curious...

I noticed the iGoogle thing as well when copying text from the dashboard to compile the list of all views; I'm assuming it's just a gaffe on Google's part.]

]]> By: Anonymous http://whereswalden.com/2009/11/07/i-know-what-you-googled-this-summer-last-summer-and-the-summer-before-but-not-much-before-then/comment-page-1/#comment-137954 Anonymous Sun, 08 Nov 2009 03:17:05 +0000 http://whereswalden.com/?p=1056#comment-137954 Where did you find the information about how many searches you did? My dashboard lacks that information. (I can think of a few reasons why it might, but I want to make sure rather than guessing.) [I clicked on "Web" under the "Web History" heading and counted, of course. ;-) Okay, not really, if you look on the right side of the page reached by following those directions, underneath the calendar you'll see text like "Total Google searches: 16029" that answers the question.] Where did you find the information about how many searches you did? My dashboard lacks that information. (I can think of a few reasons why it might, but I want to make sure rather than guessing.)

[I clicked on "Web" under the "Web History" heading and counted, of course. ;-) Okay, not really, if you look on the right side of the page reached by following those directions, underneath the calendar you'll see text like "Total Google searches: 16029" that answers the question.]

]]> By: ŊªÞ http://whereswalden.com/2009/11/07/i-know-what-you-googled-this-summer-last-summer-and-the-summer-before-but-not-much-before-then/comment-page-1/#comment-137953 ŊªÞ Sun, 08 Nov 2009 03:05:53 +0000 http://whereswalden.com/?p=1056#comment-137953 25 234 searches, I win! :P Did you count your "Sponsored Links" clicks manually? I can't find any listings for it here. I think I have ~20 clicks and no buys as it's too U.S.A. centric. 7 calendars (1 shared), 11 documents, 5580 inbox conversations, 1800 chat conversations... 248 saved drafts! Seems like my memory is bad or something. Reader Subscriptions 231 total Starred 659 items Shared 143 items Following 1 person 186 subscriptions, 491 favorites on YouTube. <blockquote>22 additional products are not yet available in this dashboard Google Analytics Google App Engine Audio Ads Google Bookmarks Browser Sync Google Base Google Image Labeler Google Groups Google Sites Knol Local Business Center Mobile Content Console Google News Google Notebook Google Page Creator Checkout Sandbox Google Subscribed Links Google Squared SSD Google in Your Language 3D Warehouse Website Optimizer</blockquote> [I counted the sponsored links manually; the only number I could find was the overall number.] 25 234 searches, I win! :P

Did you count your “Sponsored Links” clicks manually? I can’t find any listings for it here. I think I have ~20 clicks and no buys as it’s too U.S.A. centric.

7 calendars (1 shared), 11 documents, 5580 inbox conversations, 1800 chat conversations…
248 saved drafts! Seems like my memory is bad or something.

Reader
Subscriptions 231 total
Starred 659 items
Shared 143 items
Following 1 person

186 subscriptions, 491 favorites on YouTube.

22 additional products are not yet available in this dashboard
Google Analytics
Google App Engine
Audio Ads
Google Bookmarks
Browser Sync
Google Base
Google Image Labeler
Google Groups
Google Sites
Knol
Local Business Center
Mobile Content Console
Google News
Google Notebook
Google Page Creator
Checkout Sandbox
Google Subscribed Links
Google Squared
SSD
Google in Your Language
3D Warehouse
Website Optimizer

[I counted the sponsored links manually; the only number I could find was the overall number.]

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