Have you ever noticed when you search for something on Google, you see an ad for that or something similar on another website? When Google saves your search data, it uses that information to filter which adds you see on the internet. That makes a lot of people uncomfortable. Big Brother Watch UK wrote on their website “This change isn’t about Google collecting more data, it’s about letting the company combine what’s in your emails with the videos you watch and the things you search for, and ultimately increase their profits.”
What does this mean for your time on the internet? According to Google, your searches will be more personalized, regardless of whether you are signed in our not. It remembers what you have searched for in the past, what you like and did not like and can even get a general idea of your location. Many feel that it is an invasion of privacy because Google is storing information that users have little control over. “It’s like they’re spying on you” said Eggemeyer.
There is the possibility to erase your user history on your dashboard. Google says that the reason they save your search logs is “… for many purposes, for example, to keep our services secure, develop new features that make search faster and more relevant, and even to predict outbreaks of disease.”
For more information on Google’s privacy changes, visit http://www.google.com/goodtoknow/ .