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Remove Google Search History Before New Privacy Policy Takes Effect

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Re: Remove Google Search History Before New Privacy Policy Takes Effect

#101

Post by mike-cardwell »

MengYuanLong wrote: post #55

I never realized you could access your search data history. It was really fascinating to see the different visualizations including my search concentration by hour and days of the week. That said, even as a non-statistician, it wasn't hard to imagine the amount of information Google could infer by focusing on an individual. I had a data set exceeding 50k searches with the resulting click-throughs on my account. (Plus…

Google makes money from your ignorance. They could put a "Disable all Tracking" button in the black bar at the top of all Google properties, but their business model relies on the majority of people not knowing they're being tracked, or not caring enough to go looking into how to disable it.

Re: Remove Google Search History Before New Privacy Policy Takes Effect

#102

Post by reader5000 »

jonnathanson wrote: post #99
rpedroso wrote: post #4

The official title of the article is "How to Remove Your Google Search History Before Google's New Privacy Policy Takes Effect", and the writing itself is much more neutral than this submission title. I'm still not sure why people are afraid of Google's new privacy policy. I understand that there are people who have specific privacy needs, but outside that scope I doubt you have anything to worry about. It's doubtful…

"or you have specific privacy needs/concerns" With all due respect, this attitude really disturbs me. It's becoming very common these days: the implication that only deviants, criminals, off-the-grid wackos, and the anti-social have any real need for privacy. No. I reject that premise. We all have a right to privacy, and we shouldn't have to give our reasons. (That's why it's privacy, after all!). We're quickly turni…

Although I dont disagree with your point I took the phrase to refer to e.g. political dissidents and the like.

Re: Remove Google Search History Before New Privacy Policy Takes Effect

#103

Post by gcb »

when i go to that page with my spam account, which i'm logged in by mistake when i do most of my searches anyway, i get one screen asking to enable web history, with a button saying "no thanks". and i never get to the calendar screen.

with my de facto account, it shows the calendar. and there's no way i can find a way to that "no thanks" button

Re: Remove Google Search History Before New Privacy Policy Takes Effect

#104

Post by basseq »

arto wrote: post #71
jhancock wrote: post #37

When I go to https://google.com/history while logged into my google mail account, I get redirected to https://www.google.com/ The redirected Google home page clearly shows me as logged in. Am I doing it wrong?

Likewise for me with the Google Apps account I'm usually signed in as when doing searches. Going to the non-SSL page http://google.com/history (as suggested by someone here) doesn't result in the redirect, but gives the message "Web History is not available for mydomain.com." As usual, it seems that Google Apps users are in a different (lower) class when it comes to Google functionality.

I had to sign out of my Apps account and sign in with my Gmail account. Switching accounts didn't seem to work. I'm assuming (perhaps naively) that Google is synthesizing all my history into that one "primary" account.

I hate that Google Apps accounts are second-class citizens. Especially knowing that you can pay for corporate accounts... seems backwards.

Re: Remove Google Search History Before New Privacy Policy Takes Effect

#105

Post by rubing »

what a stupid company they are bleeding customers...how frigging disconnected and dumb can you be. CUSTOMER IS #1, you dipshit GOOGLE MORONS. I use DUCKDUCKGO NOW for 80% of my searches b/c they are ethical. YOU ARE EVIL. DON"T BE EVIL!!! HAAHAHAH U LOST ME NOW BABY and U ain't ever getting me back. I am the masses. I DECIDE. I CHOSE AND U LOSE!!!! STOOPID GOOGLE....GOOODBYE.

Re: Remove Google Search History Before New Privacy Policy Takes Effect

#106

Post by hyperbovine »

mike-cardwell wrote: post #101
MengYuanLong wrote: post #55

I never realized you could access your search data history. It was really fascinating to see the different visualizations including my search concentration by hour and days of the week. That said, even as a non-statistician, it wasn't hard to imagine the amount of information Google could infer by focusing on an individual. I had a data set exceeding 50k searches with the resulting click-throughs on my account. (Plus…

Google makes money from your ignorance. They could put a "Disable all Tracking" button in the black bar at the top of all Google properties, but their business model relies on the majority of people not knowing they're being tracked, or not caring enough to go looking into how to disable it.

"Ignorance"? I don't understand this righteous indignation people have towards online companies who would dare to try make money off the awesome free services they provide. Some of us are completely aware of what Google does. Seeing some personalized ads in exchange for access to all the world's information seems like a fair trade-off to me.

Re: Remove Google Search History Before New Privacy Policy Takes Effect

#107

Post by TeMPOraL »

mike-cardwell wrote: post #101
MengYuanLong wrote: post #55

I never realized you could access your search data history. It was really fascinating to see the different visualizations including my search concentration by hour and days of the week. That said, even as a non-statistician, it wasn't hard to imagine the amount of information Google could infer by focusing on an individual. I had a data set exceeding 50k searches with the resulting click-throughs on my account. (Plus…

Google makes money from your ignorance. They could put a "Disable all Tracking" button in the black bar at the top of all Google properties, but their business model relies on the majority of people not knowing they're being tracked, or not caring enough to go looking into how to disable it.

Some people (like me) just don't mind. Tracking is not inherently bad, and they use that data to provide some value for users. If you had to inform everyone and provide opt-ins for every single feature that someone out there might not like, nothing would ever be done on the Internet.

Also, running analysis on this kind of data must be pure awesomeness, from scientist's point of view ;).

Re: Remove Google Search History Before New Privacy Policy Takes Effect

#108

Post by jellicle »

ehsanu1 wrote: post #67
SquareWheel wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It sounds good in concept, but I'm concerned that somebody searching for child pornography or similar could be associated with myself. I have the same fear of running a TOR exit node.

It gives you plausible deniability, which is the point. Nobody can prove you really did those searches (though you can't prove the converse either).

Actually it gives you plausible culpability, not plausible deniability. This idea that people actually don't get charged/tried/convicted because the evidence is a little flimsy is completely false.

What you say: "I did this cookie thing. I never searched for any sort of kiddie porn on the internet."

What the jury of your peers hears: "Child molester trying to pretend he didn't do it."

What the judge does: Extra time in prison because you aren't taking responsibility for your crimes.

Enjoy your prison sentence.

Re: Remove Google Search History Before New Privacy Policy Takes Effect

#110

Post by jellicle »

I'm pretty sure EFF is wrong here. Google's Web History is basically a public version of your search history. You can turn on or off whether you want Google to rub your face in its knowledge about you. But it retains that knowledge even if you turn off the rub-in-your-face personalization part.

Google retains a complete history of your interactions with them, which is not subject to this Web History setting, not deletable, not removable, and will be shared across its properties.

Short reply: This doesn't remove Google's search history of your searches at all.

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