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Google to turn on activity tracking for many users who turned it off

news.ycombinator.com

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Re: Google to turn on activity tracking for many users who turned it off

#381

Post by dang »

ad404b8a372f2b9 wrote: post #96
riverguardian wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Great question. The premise here is that search is an integral part of the product experience of using Google Workspace. We don't offer controls that separate each piece of functionality within Workspace products. The reason there _is_ one governing both Workspace and non-Workspace data (the current Web and App Activity setting) is mostly historical in nature, and the fact that there are two existing controls (one fo…

Quoted post unavailable.

I assume you mean that as an attack. Personal attacks will get you banned here.

If you'd please review https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html and stick to the rules when posting here, we'd appreciate it.

Re: Google to turn on activity tracking for many users who turned it off

#382

Post by prox »

bsenftner wrote: post #259
prox wrote: post #185

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have to agree. You don’t turn on stuff for people who turned it off. The default should be off, no matter where you are moving the new setting, which is fine all by itself, if informing the user. Golden rule is that the user is in control.

> Golden rule is that the user is in control. You've just identified that the Google Search operator is not Google's primary user, it is the advertisers that Google's entire existence is geared of appease, the search function is just how they collect our desires to feed back to their real users, the advertising industry.

That’s why I find it interesting how the original comment bends in mysterious ways to answer for what they did. It’s the dishonesty of it thats worse imo.

Re: Google to turn on activity tracking for many users who turned it off

#383

Post by sam0x17 »

riverguardian wrote: post #70

Hello hello, PM for the feature checking in here. amf12's reply is quite on-point. Web and App Activity is designed to store search activity across all Google services, and we're splitting Workspace data out since it's governed by strict data handling guarantees, with the hope that more people will feel comfortable getting the benefits of better search in Workspace without having to opt-into search history being trac…

> with the hope that more people will feel comfortable getting the benefits of better search in Workspace without having to opt-into search history being tracked for all Google services

This is at best extremely disingenuous and at worst could be illegal in the GDPR countries. Par for the course for Google though. The only good move here would be to have everyone who had opted out of search history set to off by default for this new setting as well. Otherwise you're actively violating the privacy and wishes of users based on their previously stated preferences. Shame.

Re: Google to turn on activity tracking for many users who turned it off

#384

Post by blackboxlogic »

blackboxlogic wrote: post #295
blackboxlogic wrote: post #293

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"No, your honor. They didn't consent. But I have corrected that."

"No, it's ok officer. We consented For them."

"No, detective. I'm certain that they wanted to consent. They must have forgotten to."

Re: Google to turn on activity tracking for many users who turned it off

#385

Post by joshuamorton »

zepto wrote: post #343
jcranberry wrote: post #323

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If there's one feature that I would assert almost everyone wants which requires tracking some data, its search history recommendation.

1. We’re talking about people who have already switched it off. 2. There is no need for any tracking to implement this. It can be done on the client.

> 1. We’re talking about people who have already switched it off.

No, we're talking about accounts who already had it (as part of broader setting) disabled for them, in a context where the data in question can (contractually) only be used to provide the service anyhow.

> 2. There is no need for any tracking to implement this. It can be done on the client.

Pray tell me how you can do client side search history recommendation for the first query I make after logging in.

Re: Google to turn on activity tracking for many users who turned it off

#386

Post by Rebelgecko »

joshuamorton wrote: post #385
zepto wrote: post #343

Earlier quoted context omitted.

1. We’re talking about people who have already switched it off. 2. There is no need for any tracking to implement this. It can be done on the client.

> 1. We’re talking about people who have already switched it off. No, we're talking about accounts who already had it (as part of broader setting) disabled for them, in a context where the data in question can (contractually) only be used to provide the service anyhow. > 2. There is no need for any tracking to implement this. It can be done on the client. Pray tell me how you can do client side search history recomme…

Easy, just store your search history in a Blockchain and pull it down every time you log in.

Re: Google to turn on activity tracking for many users who turned it off

#387

Post by joshuamorton »

Nbox9 wrote: post #340
jcranberry wrote: post #323

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If there's one feature that I would assert almost everyone wants which requires tracking some data, its search history recommendation.

Why would I want Google to store my search history? I can look at my search history just fine with my local copy on my web browser. (Web browsers store previously visited websites)

The search history in this case isn't your browser search history, but in-app search history within gmail/drive. Your browser doesn't store that.

Re: Google to turn on activity tracking for many users who turned it off

#388

Post by flerovium »

basisword wrote: post #180
riverguardian wrote: post #70

Hello hello, PM for the feature checking in here. amf12's reply is quite on-point. Web and App Activity is designed to store search activity across all Google services, and we're splitting Workspace data out since it's governed by strict data handling guarantees, with the hope that more people will feel comfortable getting the benefits of better search in Workspace without having to opt-into search history being trac…

Your reason for splitting this into two separate settings is understandable. >> ...with the hope that more people will feel comfortable getting the benefits of better search in Workspace without having to opt-into search history being tracked for all Google services. This is unacceptable. People have already opted out or been opted out by their admin. If they want to opt back in now that the setting is more granular,…

"Please reconsider" is the wrong tone. One might as well ask an abuser to "please reconsider" abuse. Closer to the point might be, "Your actions are unethical, illegal, and I will gladly join the class action that results from this."

Re: Google to turn on activity tracking for many users who turned it off

#389

Post by magicjosh »

jcranberry wrote: post #323
titzer wrote: post #298

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I encourage you, unreservedly, and without any personal malice, to fight the reality distortion field that causes people to make decisions like the above. Users do not want this. Engineers, PMs, and executives want this. Google's 23% YoY revenue growth wants this. To Google, users who don't subject to dystopian tracking, who don't consent to Google knowing everything about them, who just want to go about their own li…

If there's one feature that I would assert almost everyone wants which requires tracking some data, its search history recommendation.

Just to clarify this comment is sarcastic right? It gets confusing in text. (genuinely asking)

Re: Google to turn on activity tracking for many users who turned it off

#390

Post by zepto »

joshuamorton wrote: post #385
zepto wrote: post #343

Earlier quoted context omitted.

1. We’re talking about people who have already switched it off. 2. There is no need for any tracking to implement this. It can be done on the client.

> 1. We’re talking about people who have already switched it off. No, we're talking about accounts who already had it (as part of broader setting) disabled for them, in a context where the data in question can (contractually) only be used to provide the service anyhow. > 2. There is no need for any tracking to implement this. It can be done on the client. Pray tell me how you can do client side search history recomme…

> No, we're talking about accounts who already had it (as part of broader setting) disabled for them, in a context where the data in question can (contractually) only be used to provide the service anyhow.

That doesn’t contradict that it was switched off intentionally.

> Pray tell me how you can do client side search history recommendation for the first query I make after logging in.

Logging in to what? Are you saying you want your search history synced between your browsers? If so, that’s a solved problem that doesn’t require Google to track you.

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