http://www.forbes.com/pe...ech.html?partner=my_msn

i think this is a nice thing for google to implement. i hate going to websites, yet forgetting exactly what the url was. history doesn't really help if you visit a ton of webpages. i can see how this would be extremely useful in the time of a research project :) quickly browsing through results, find something, then forget to save the url for the bibliography and you aren't able to find the result again.

anyway, google is good with telling you what they do with what you do. if you get all hurt over them collecting information (as most websites do), you really shouldn't even be on a computer.

Here is a good read for those that think "gathering information" is ok.
oh dear, did I spell everything ok? I think what fruity loops was trying to say is, those that won't use a spell check before posting should not be listened to. I never use one and could care less if someone doesn't like my spelling but I sure would not judge the intelligence of any person as to how they "spell".
It is called researchware now days LOL

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7546554/

con

I'll be out back handing out tin foil hats for all those that need one.

Helloooo this is an opt-in SERVICE, not a required feature of Google. Im sure thier privacy policies prohibit releaseing private data. I just love how everyone is pumping this up as the "mark of the beast"...Puhlease

GET A GRIP, YOUR LIKE THE MILLION OTHER PEOPLE WHO THINK THAT IS TURE!

Google is the ONLY free software I've seen in many years that let's you OPT OUT of all spyware and privacy issues.

Anyone who complains about that shouldn't be let near a computer.

lol... umm? ok.

Get a grip on what? Do you have any information that says otherwise?

What Scipio said is true. Google is very good about explaining everything it does in relation to privacy concerns and you can always completely opt-out.

you can generally dismiss a persons opinion if they can't spell.
it's you'RE
and it's true not ture
i won't go into the details as to why you can dismiss these peoples opinions, but it should be fairly obvious =)
anyway, as has been already pointed out, it's an OPT-in service, why are people so scared of it?
and secondly, I would like one of these opposers (these opposers generally just oppose because they think "oh no.. privacy!" but don't actually even know why they're opposing, or know the facts) to explain to me why it's an issue. Don't just say because it's a privacy issue, explain to me WHY it's an issue. If you search for cars they will have registered somewhere that a certain IP (which can be spoofed!) searched for cars.. SO WHAT.
idiots

I think they have a name for this. Let's see...what was it again? Oh yeah, AutoComplete. Well actually your local computer stores those entries, not google. So...this might be called something more like...SPYWARE. Bad, bad move google! I know you are partially supported by vendors who distribute this stuff but few people know and fewer people care. Now that you are openly doing it, can one safely assume you will not use these search terms the same way in which "hotbar" or "coolwwwsearch" uses them? I almost can't believe what I've read. Google listen and either assure us that there will be absolutely no info provided to any 3rd party or something. Yes I know you track me already but not if I block your cookies.

thank you, I agree

First its anonymous info. Second, so what if they know you searched for Automobiles, clothes, and electronics. who cares? They don't designate user from Texas with ip address 192.x.x.x search for this, just that 20,000 people searched for the topic of "brittany". So what? They aren't going to spam you specificially because you were searching for a pariticular topic.

Third, I have news, they have been doing it since day 1. Its called "cache". how do you think search engines work? you think you have your very own search engine that goes out and comes back with results in a few milliseconds based on your criteria? Think again, millions of other people search for the same word (and they are banking on you searching the same information) and therefore it now keeps a search history.

The only thing that is "new" is that it will be publicly available to everyone to see that "brittany" was the most searched topic, and that 10,000 other people searched for it in the last 5 minutes.. or even if it is history, its just a way for people to be able to waste even more time on the internet. You can see your last 10 or 20 searches on your browser, identified by a cookie on your machine.. like someone else said, its the same as auto lookup feature in IE.

There is no personal information, and how would they get the personal info anyway? All they know is some computer with an ip address searched for a topic. The next time that same machine with that IP connects, they pull up your list of recent searches? What are you getting so bent out shape for? quit being paranoid.

If you want completely privacy, go back to reading a newspaper, or using an encyclopedia to do research, so they can't "see" what you are doing. But, they have been keeping this info for years, how do you think they know what products are the most popular on the net, by guessing? Search engines are huge business. That's why they have so many of them. Get over it, one day, your ATM machine may track info about you as well, how many times you withdraw funds, which bank cards you use, the amount, locations... Its all trackable, they just don't "NOTIFY" you they are watching, but they ARE watching. Quit seeing the negative of everything, there is positive that comes out of this.. We don't like pop-up ads, so they have to sell the research to make money.. search engines aren't free, SOMEONE has to dump money into them to keep them going, and those companies need to get a return on their investment... Its called FREE ENTERPRISE for a reason.

I'm sorry, but that is a completely mis-informed opinion. I'll explain why:

1. It's an opt-in service. If you don't want it, you don't sign up for it. They're not going to push it on you.

2. Google sorta kinda already knows what you search for. Cuz you're kinda sorta searching THROUGH THEM. I'm mean come on... they keep track of what people search for.

3. All information is accessible only by you with your Google account. Who the heck cares if you search for toy horses or whatever the crap else you search for? There is no individually identifying information available to anyone BUT YOU.

If you still get the creeps from saving your search history - then don't. Like I said, it's not like they're going to trick you into keeping track of your own information. I'm not sure yet if I'll use it. I'll probably at least try it. I just don't know why I would need it at this point lol.

"The only thing that is "new" is that it will be publicly available to everyone to see that "brittany" was the most searched topic, and that 10,000 other people searched for it in the last 5 minutes.. or even if it is history, its just a way for people to be able to waste even more time on the internet. You can see your last 10 or 20 searches on your browser, identified by a cookie on your machine.. like someone else said, its the same as auto lookup feature in IE.
"

Umm... actually that's not even new. It's called Google Zeitgeist:

http://www.google.com/press/zeitgeist.html

It's been available forever.

Wow.....that's a bad Idea.

If Google search is so good, then why do I need a history of what I searched for? If I need to search for it again I will, and Google will find it.

This is stepping over the line of privacy.

went to labs.google.com and tried it out. I logged in with my "Google account" which is the same as my gmail account. It's just not a good thing.

They want to keep a search history on me and also peruse my email, along with my photo's (via Picasa) and know where I live (via Keyhole).

Whatever Google..... I'm starting to think that a Google Account = The Mark of the Beast.

Fun fun...

good lord ... OPT IN.

they can store my searches. half the time i don't realize a page is valuable so i don't bookmark it. then when i want to go back to it i can't remember the exact search i typed into google.

if you want to get up in arms about privacy go jump on the lexusnexus train.

Though some things sound great on paper - are just that. As I can think of several reasons that this is good, I can think of 100 that are bad. Collecting and storing information on the habits of an individual is a breech of privacy. Though there are several people that will tell you that this is a great idea and they will use it. I am worried about the many other possible or strongly likely scenarios that will develop due to this.

These will be the same people that will cry when they begin getting too much spam.

I strongly doubt they will ever force people to have their search history saved, so if you don't feel comfortable with this feature, just don't use it.

Look at your cookies folder--they already do!!! They just don't link the searches to YOU directly...at least last time I looked at the content in the cookie...however betanews indirectly tracks you as an individual and may even obtain your ip address. Right, not betanews themselves, but the tracking cookies on all of those ads you see.

Not as a put down, but you need to understand how these people are tracking you. You think for one minute you are safe when you search on the Internet? WOW, the very things I hear techs like yourself complain about newbies not knowig what to click on or how to surf, you are making the same mistake.

thank you! Someone who agrees.

Umm.. a lesson in cookies. a cookie is just like a movie ticket. You go in, you tell what you want to see, they give you a ticket to get in. You give the ticket to the guy that takes your ticket, and knows you are going to see a particular movie. He then directs you based on the movie and where its located. That's it.

If you block cookies, they still know who you are by your IP address, and EVERYONE has an IP address. That's the *ONLY* way you get on the internet in the first place, is with a valid IP address.

If you delete a cookie, the only thing that happens is next time you go to google, it will not know your preferences for numbers of results per page, and what language you want, oooh.. that's a privacy breaker let me tell you.

You people have a very limited idea and knowledge of what cookies actually do. They don't do anything, except remember how you like that page to look the next time you visit it.. you are hurting yourself by deleting cookies, because the information they need about you, is INSTANTLY available EVERY time you connect to ANY web page, they don't need a cookie to track you. Cookies are on your machine, and they only keep information about your preferences.

They do store passwords, but hey here is a thought, don't store the password! wow what a novel concept. If you are worried that some program will "read" your cookies, then don't use the "remember my password" feature on websites. everything else in a cookie is just sorting, language, color scheme, personally, I don't want to have to set these everytime, so I keep my cookies.

But do what you want, but cookies are the LEAST of your problem. A cookie isn't anything more than a piece of paper that tells the browser to configure itself the same way every time you connect to a site. That's ALL it does. Period.

Anything you read that says that a cookie is more than that, is propagating lies, so they can promote their software.. Think about it. The only companies that gain from making you quit using cookies are those that have a way to manage your cookies... if you BUY their software..

Believe what you will, but I promise you, a cookie will not make you 100% anonymous. Your ISP knows who you are, and websites can reverse lookup this info, with your IP address.. your address can change, but they are required to keep a history of IP address (including when they were given out, who they were given to, and exact time/date) for at least a year.. maybe longer. An IP address on the internet is unique, assigned by your provider.. and they have a set block of IP addresses they can use, so every computer is trackable, they don't need some piece of garbage text file called a cookie to get info, that's an urban legend. All the information they need, YOU give them every time you connect to a website. That's ALL they need, IP.

Good points, and I agree. Cookies themselves are not harmful, and most store useful information. However, many sites can obtain info stored in cookies just as easily as creating them. The cookies I really don't care much for are the ad.doubleclick.net and such, they track more than the simple things and are used on many, many websites including this one. No, I don't think I will be infected with viruses or that my hair will spontaneously combust if I keep those cookies but why keep them? Actually after rethinking the issue you are right about google cookies--only google.com gives me that one. Still--those other internet-wide cookies kinda bug me. Believe what you will.

so OPT-OUT, or don't use google.. u clown
it's a CHOICE
man some people are so dumb