Live data from Hacker News

What you could do if you were Google and had their databases

jacquesmattheij.com

81–84 of 84 posts

Re: What you could do if you were Google and had their databases

#81
No-one seems to be tying in DNS to all of this. That gives Google a signal aide from the link-graph and social that tells them which sites are being use and how often. Its power will increase vastly when IPv6 brings static IPs and Google then can say that you followed a specific link from your fridge and made no further DNS hits for 3 minutes, etc..

Re: What you could do if you were Google and had their databases

#82
post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why is using material non-public information to trade illegal? I don't know, I didn't write the law.

But everything in google's search-index is public?

... but not the interactions of google's users with google's services.

Re: What you could do if you were Google and had their databases

#83
post #82
post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But everything in google's search-index is public?

... but not the interactions of google's users with google's services.

That's right but how can it be illegal for them to mine their own data?

I see it becoming illegal the moment they start looking at my data (e.g. the contents of a private Google doc). But the index of their public search engine consists of public data to begin with.

Likewise by entering a phrase into their search box I'm telling them "find this for me". Why should it be illegal for google to mine this data just like Walmart mines the customer requests for barbie dolls?

There's obviously a fine line as google juggles with private (e.g. google docs) and public data. But the question as I understood it was about the public portion of their data.

Re: What you could do if you were Google and had their databases

#84
post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

why is using search data to trade illegal?

Why is using material non-public information to trade illegal? I don't know, I didn't write the law.

search results (and open stuff that google crawls from sites) is PUBLIC... Using INSIDE information (e.g. if you work at a company, therefore having access to undisclosed info) is one thing, but using what's freely on the net?

That's what ALL investors do anyway (and it's obviously legal)

Post reply on HN