Check your Google history(history.google.com)
history.google.com
Check your Google history
https://history.google.com/history/lookup
159 comments
> (Browser history is also stored online for most browsers these days, and especially if you use Chrome then Google already have your history anyway).
Chrome Sync supports optional client-side encryption, and Firefox Sync always uses client-side encryption.
Chrome Sync supports optional client-side encryption, and Firefox Sync always uses client-side encryption.
Uh, so what are we afraid of here?
Do you honestly believe that if the NSA decided they wanted your browser history, the encryption used by Chrome or Firefox would stymie them for too long?
I guess I'm just not really clear on what folks are worried about happening with these history data. Is the concern that the data could be leaked, revealing potentially privacy-compromising information? Or that Google might mine it in an attempt to make a buck off of your metadata? Or that the government might use it to identify you as a potential political dissident?
Personally, I find the Google search history to be useful, though less useful lately since DDG is my primary search engine now. I don't quite get the knee-jerk "this is creepy" outrage and fear I see from some folks about this feature.
Do you honestly believe that if the NSA decided they wanted your browser history, the encryption used by Chrome or Firefox would stymie them for too long?
I guess I'm just not really clear on what folks are worried about happening with these history data. Is the concern that the data could be leaked, revealing potentially privacy-compromising information? Or that Google might mine it in an attempt to make a buck off of your metadata? Or that the government might use it to identify you as a potential political dissident?
Personally, I find the Google search history to be useful, though less useful lately since DDG is my primary search engine now. I don't quite get the knee-jerk "this is creepy" outrage and fear I see from some folks about this feature.
> Do you honestly believe that if the NSA decided they wanted your browser history, the encryption used by Chrome or Firefox would stymie them for too long?
If they care about your browser history specifically, then in a battle between one individual and a government-level adversary, I'd bet on the latter; it's unlikely they'd try to break the encryption when they could use keyloggers, cameras, or any number of other methods that work fine on targeted individuals. (Or,
But if they care about doing blanket capture and analysis of everyone's history, then yes, I think the encryption used by Chrome and Firefox should work. Security bugs are always possible, of course, and browsers are quite notorious for them, but the more widely a security bug is exploited, the more rapidly it'll be detected and fixed.
If they care about your browser history specifically, then in a battle between one individual and a government-level adversary, I'd bet on the latter; it's unlikely they'd try to break the encryption when they could use keyloggers, cameras, or any number of other methods that work fine on targeted individuals. (Or,
But if they care about doing blanket capture and analysis of everyone's history, then yes, I think the encryption used by Chrome and Firefox should work. Security bugs are always possible, of course, and browsers are quite notorious for them, but the more widely a security bug is exploited, the more rapidly it'll be detected and fixed.
Being accused of a precrime is one thing to be concerned about. It's happened to quite a few people. People who planned an event similar to "Improv Everywhere" in London were captured and detained before they could do something which was not even illegal... An Irish guy got questioned for a solid 12 hours and sent home for an innocuous tweet. Another person was detained and had his home trashed for quoting a movie on Facebook. This happens all the time. Imagine if you are a writer for a mystery novel, you want to do some research, and then someone close to you dies. Now your research queries are going to be used to make you look guilty. Yeah, an 'innocent' man has nothing to fear from the law, except they do, as you can clearly see if you ever have heard of http://www.innocenceproject.org/.
This is certainly a concern. However, I believe that if the NSA or local law enforcement have a way to mine your search history internal to Google, they will not be stopped in this endeavor just because you told Google not to save your search history. They can just gather the data in real time and maintain their own history for you.
The solution to this is not to turn off Google's search history, but to use a search engine (like DDG) who purportedly have security and anonymity built in.
The solution to this is not to turn off Google's search history, but to use a search engine (like DDG) who purportedly have security and anonymity built in.
> Do you honestly believe that if the NSA decided they wanted your browser history, the encryption used by Chrome or Firefox would stymie them for too long?
Yes, I do. But I also believe that they would more easily access my computer after I inserted the master password, or detain me with false accuses until I give up, and maybe more. We're talking about organizations that do not abide by the law. But one thing is to worry for the NSA coming after you, another is to keep your history hidden from Google.
Yes, I do. But I also believe that they would more easily access my computer after I inserted the master password, or detain me with false accuses until I give up, and maybe more. We're talking about organizations that do not abide by the law. But one thing is to worry for the NSA coming after you, another is to keep your history hidden from Google.
Can you explain to me why you don't want Google seeing your search history? Remember: you are voluntarily submitting these searches to Google. Why would you search using an engine you don't trust? Or is it that you don't want them to have the historical data?
I submit that if you don't want Google to know about your searches, you should not use Google (or at the very least, not use Google with a browser logged in to a Google service).
I submit that if you don't want Google to know about your searches, you should not use Google (or at the very least, not use Google with a browser logged in to a Google service).
Hi Nathan, I just wanted to point out that is different to try to hide something from the NSA and from Google, I didn't mean to say that is good or bad to hide things from Google when using their services.
That said, I can imagine someone who wants to use a search engine that he doesn't trust (because the results are better but wants to keep his privacy): for example a girl may want to search for pregnancy tests but she may dislike to be later targeted by ads about that.
You are right that one could simply avoid the service or at least avoid to be logged in, but most people are oblivious of these things.
That said, I can imagine someone who wants to use a search engine that he doesn't trust (because the results are better but wants to keep his privacy): for example a girl may want to search for pregnancy tests but she may dislike to be later targeted by ads about that.
You are right that one could simply avoid the service or at least avoid to be logged in, but most people are oblivious of these things.
Yeah, I can understand going in and deleting specific things in your history if Google keeps serving you ads about them. But turning off the entire history seems like overkill.
(And your point about hiding from the NSA vs. Google is what I was trying to get at in my comment above, which for some reason got downvoted quite heavily).
(And your point about hiding from the NSA vs. Google is what I was trying to get at in my comment above, which for some reason got downvoted quite heavily).
Even if you are logged out, they have 56 touch points (plugins, bookmarks, etc) to determine who you are.
I find it quite useful for the auto-completition feature, esp. when I switch between different machines.
But still, I deactivated it. The potential disagreement surpasses the benefits. Whenever someone is looking at my screen, I'm always concerned that an embarrassing previous query pop up.
But still, I deactivated it. The potential disagreement surpasses the benefits. Whenever someone is looking at my screen, I'm always concerned that an embarrassing previous query pop up.
This is totally useless to me.
I don't have a google account, my main search engine is duckduckgo ( I occasionally use google search but always use the anonymous encrypted version) and my browser (opera) offers a history search feature which works well.
I don't have a google account, my main search engine is duckduckgo ( I occasionally use google search but always use the anonymous encrypted version) and my browser (opera) offers a history search feature which works well.
I'm not a privacy freak, but I still have Search and Youtube history turned off. Why? Because the superficial kind of machine learning done by everyone today (Google included) yields crap results.
Example: I'm subscribed to pewdiepie on Youtube (the other subscriptions being mostly dev stuff). ALL the videos recommended now are garbage made for/by mentally challenged 14 year olds. It was even worse when I had YT history on. At least now I get somewhat relevant related videos (useful when learning about a new technology, a startup, etc).
== Edit
You do realise that I'm subscribed to only 1 _shitty_ channel and 15+ _real_ ones? Actually, this might mean that Youtube's algorithms are skewed toward popular stuff (there's no contest between pewds and Google Developers, lol).
Example: I'm subscribed to pewdiepie on Youtube (the other subscriptions being mostly dev stuff). ALL the videos recommended now are garbage made for/by mentally challenged 14 year olds. It was even worse when I had YT history on. At least now I get somewhat relevant related videos (useful when learning about a new technology, a startup, etc).
== Edit
You do realise that I'm subscribed to only 1 _shitty_ channel and 15+ _real_ ones? Actually, this might mean that Youtube's algorithms are skewed toward popular stuff (there's no contest between pewds and Google Developers, lol).
You subscribed to a mentally challenged 14 year old and you are questioning why you get suggestions for videos by mentally challenged 14 year olds?
But seriously, it could probably be improved. Does anyone know if down voting videos affects recommendations? I also wish I could explicitly ignore things on the recommendations section before I watch them. Just out of principle I don't want to give them a view and potentially ad money just so I can down vote them.
But seriously, it could probably be improved. Does anyone know if down voting videos affects recommendations? I also wish I could explicitly ignore things on the recommendations section before I watch them. Just out of principle I don't want to give them a view and potentially ad money just so I can down vote them.
Obviously, pewdiepie isn't the epitome of intellectual achievement, but he's not _that_ bad either. I like him because (i) he's Swedish and about my age and (ii) his insane success is a very interesting and relatively new phenomenon. Have a look at some stats, his subscribers and views skyrocketed organically like nothing seen before.
There is an interesting theory on how that happened: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgMqhEMhVV8
Basically Google changed their algorithm to recommend videos based on time watched instead of just views. Which massively favored let's plays because they are so long. They also promote channels based on geographical location. Pewdiepie had an advantage somehow because he had a fanbase in Sweden and moved to Italy.
This might also explain parent comment's problem (recommendations favoring let's plays because they are longer.)
Basically Google changed their algorithm to recommend videos based on time watched instead of just views. Which massively favored let's plays because they are so long. They also promote channels based on geographical location. Pewdiepie had an advantage somehow because he had a fanbase in Sweden and moved to Italy.
This might also explain parent comment's problem (recommendations favoring let's plays because they are longer.)
I'd rather not become part of the problem. Being popular for being popular in my opinion is not something that holds much merit.
Watching other people play games in particular is really silly to me when I can just play them myself. It's just one of those weird fads that isn't for me.
Watching other people play games in particular is really silly to me when I can just play them myself. It's just one of those weird fads that isn't for me.
That's interesting, I'm actually the other way around. I see games as a work of art instead of a pastime, so I enjoy watching people play rather than doing it myself. It feels like I'm saving time this way. :) It might have something to do with the fact that having a family has turned my interests system around.
Those things aren't mutually exclusive. A game can be a work of art and an enjoyable pastime. In fact the idea of putting some unfunny weirdo's face and voice over the game's story really destroys a lot of the artistic value.
Well you're subscribed to pewdiepie - sounds to me like the recommended videos are right on the money. It's not like pewdiepie's demo is in the 20-28 year bracket.
... come on, you have to see why youtube would be confused.
I'm confused.
I'm confused.
You can get data about your Google queries from the Firefox history database even when you are not using Google history, for instance using the following (no guarantees on sanity/completeness, assumes you are on Unix with necessary utilities installed, have only one profile folder, etc.):
sqlite3 ~/.mozilla/firefox/*.default/places.sqlite 'select last_visit_date,url from moz_places;' |
perl -pe 's/%([0-9a-f]{2})/sprintf("%s", pack("H2",$1))/eig' |
grep -E 'google\.[a-z]{2,3}/search?' |
sed 's/^\(.*\)|.*[?&]q=\([^&]*\)\(&.*\)\?/\1|\2/' |
perl -pe 's/%([0-9a-f]{2})/sprintf("%s", pack("H2",$1))/eig' |
tr '|+' ' ' | sort -k2,2 | uniq -f1 | sort -k1,1nAnd your location history - if you use Google Now, this is probably enabled.
https://maps.google.com/locationhistory/b/0
https://maps.google.com/locationhistory/b/0
I find it interesting that the `web history` link wanted me to re-authenticate, which I failed to do. (Specifically it wanted a 2FA token.)
This location history came up w/o even verifying my identity or asking for re-authentication. (I'm on a machine that has multiple Google profiles signed in.)
An adversary mining my location history for metadata is _much more worrisome_ than somebody finding out I listened to the whole `Kagerou Project` playlist on youtube for the third time.
I'm not upset that Google has this data; I do use Google Now which practically exists solely to extract metadata from my routine. I just can't believe its not behind a `re-authentication wall.`
This location history came up w/o even verifying my identity or asking for re-authentication. (I'm on a machine that has multiple Google profiles signed in.)
An adversary mining my location history for metadata is _much more worrisome_ than somebody finding out I listened to the whole `Kagerou Project` playlist on youtube for the third time.
I'm not upset that Google has this data; I do use Google Now which practically exists solely to extract metadata from my routine. I just can't believe its not behind a `re-authentication wall.`
Maybe that's because they're both behind different sub-domains and you did authenticate/use maps.google.com for other stuff more recently?
You can also disable both search history and location history through the google now app.
Location history is necessary for some Google Maps feature I don't remember. But for either of these services you can create a dummy account on your Android devices and just enable it per-device, and separately sync your main [real] account's mail, contacts, etc. Segregates privacy information so any exposure is limited to an individual device or profile.
I keep my Android tablet at home and so my location history is all screwed up. It thinks that I keep on jumping between my home and wherever I actual am.
That's fixable as well. You can turn off location reporting on your home device while still leaving location services active for things that need it.
Argh! I knew about the search history and had it turned off but I did not know about this location database. I recently got an Android phone and it must save your location history because it is showing all my travel for the period I've been using the phone. This is creepy as hell. This phone is going back.
Just remember that your phone provider is doing the same, even if you use a dumbphone. You just can't see it.
Android must have warned you before turning on Location services. Anyway, you can turn this off in the settings.
It absolutely does. Not only when you initially setup the device, but the first time you launch the G+ app (if you do that), too.
No, I don't think it did, or if it did it was in the fine print and I didn't notice it.
I doubt Google wrote special code especially for you. It has _always_ been opt in.
You can disable the location tracking on your phone. I would try that before you return it. You can forbid Google from collecting location data and still be able to use location functionality on the phone (like for navigation).
I didn't particularly care for it anyways and it was a try it for 30-days deal so. I've used Google maps on my iPhone but I guess since I never signed it it didn't record the locations.
I realize that the phone company can to some extent track your location as well based on the cell tower but that isn't quite as accurate or convenient as the GPS data.
I realize that the phone company can to some extent track your location as well based on the cell tower but that isn't quite as accurate or convenient as the GPS data.
Sorry, but your threat modelling is all wrong here.
the phone company can to some extent track your location as well based on the cell tower
The phone companies sell this data[1], and it can be obtained in civil court cases[2] and it is usually pretty accurate[3].
convenient as the GPS data
Convenient for whom? You can't ever see it, but the network operator and its clients can see it very easily.
Contrast that to Google Location Services, where you have an interface to remove parts of your history and/or you can turn it off completely.
Plus it is used to give you useful stuff like Google Now travel time notifications for places you regularly travel to.
[1] eg: http://www.mobilephonelocate.com/cell-phone-tracking.html
[2] http://www.iiiweb.net/forensic-services/cell-phone-tower-tri...
[3] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_phone_tracking#Network-b...
the phone company can to some extent track your location as well based on the cell tower
The phone companies sell this data[1], and it can be obtained in civil court cases[2] and it is usually pretty accurate[3].
convenient as the GPS data
Convenient for whom? You can't ever see it, but the network operator and its clients can see it very easily.
Contrast that to Google Location Services, where you have an interface to remove parts of your history and/or you can turn it off completely.
Plus it is used to give you useful stuff like Google Now travel time notifications for places you regularly travel to.
[1] eg: http://www.mobilephonelocate.com/cell-phone-tracking.html
[2] http://www.iiiweb.net/forensic-services/cell-phone-tower-tri...
[3] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_phone_tracking#Network-b...
It's not Android; it's the services. This happens on iPhone's too.
Or you could install one of the versions of Android that have no connection to Google.
Clicked on this and says I don't have it enabled. From the collected reactions so far in here. I am expecting that is a good thing.
Same. It looks like I must have stumbled on this awhile back, turned it off, then forgot about it.
[deleted]
Not sure how everyone ended up with this turned on. I have no search or location history :(
Disable it just mean that YOU won't be able to read it.
Google still collect this data so far.
> Google still collect this data so far.
Citation please. Or at least you meant to say Google still _anonymously_ collects this data?
Citation please. Or at least you meant to say Google still _anonymously_ collects this data?
There's nothing anonymous about google's collection of data.
Here it just means it won't be tied to your google account but to whatever kind of profile google uses to track searches you make.
Here it just means it won't be tied to your google account but to whatever kind of profile google uses to track searches you make.
So assuming your comment is based on a fact (and I still don't see any citation), do you mean to say the "whatever kind of profile" google uses can still be tied to your google account? If not, then it's _anonymous_ as far as I am concerned.
"We are sorry, but you do not have access to this service. Please contact your domain administrator for access."
Eh, whut?
Eh, whut?
you're logged into an Apps for Your Domain account, and that service isn't enabled.
Same; though it looks like it might be because my account is a Google Apps account.
I know we're meant to be freaked out by this but I think it would actually be pretty cool to have data for tens of thousands of search results stretching back a decade or so. With a bit of analysis you could get some cool insights into past interests, their dynamics over time etc.
Yes, to me, this and the location history are just plain awesome automatic logging that I get for free. That said, it's only free to me because I already value my privacy on the internet at $0.
I especially like having a graph that tells me I need to sleep more regularly [1] and I also like having location history that tells me I'm a very boring person in the real world (and that my phone's GPS is wildly inaccurate).
[1] http://i.imgur.com/c6cUGrY.png
I especially like having a graph that tells me I need to sleep more regularly [1] and I also like having location history that tells me I'm a very boring person in the real world (and that my phone's GPS is wildly inaccurate).
[1] http://i.imgur.com/c6cUGrY.png
> my privacy on the internet
Location history isn't "your privacy on the Internet", it's "your privacy".
Location history isn't "your privacy on the Internet", it's "your privacy".
No, because I am aware that my phone connects to the internet. If I want to exclude the internet from my whereabouts, I can just go without my phone.
I'm not sacraficing my privacy so Google can get some "cool insight into past interests."
Ha, no you crunch the numbers, you get the insights. Google does so whether you opt-in or not.
Something I'd like to do (someone else asked for an e.g.) is look back at programming language searches, as they'll nearly always have the lang in the query. I'd be able to see when I started learning e.g. python and had to google everything, when I picked up other languages, how those searches decreased (or increased) as I learned more. Lots of interesting stuff.
Something I'd like to do (someone else asked for an e.g.) is look back at programming language searches, as they'll nearly always have the lang in the query. I'd be able to see when I started learning e.g. python and had to google everything, when I picked up other languages, how those searches decreased (or increased) as I learned more. Lots of interesting stuff.
If I understand your argument, you're saying Google will collect this information anyway, and at least by keeping web history on, you can do some analysis on your own browsing habits. I'm aware that Google is collecting and storing this our search history, even after disabling web history. That's why I think Google shouldn't be collecting this information at all.
I have no problem with collecting your own search history, storing it locally, and analyzing it (though I doubt it would produce any groundbreaking insights). I just think it's safer if you store it yourself.
I have no problem with collecting your own search history, storing it locally, and analyzing it (though I doubt it would produce any groundbreaking insights). I just think it's safer if you store it yourself.
I admit that this auto logging stuff is really cool, but at the same time, I feel queasy about using Google for the logging. If you really wanted to log, couldn't you install a proxy?
Could you give some examples of these cool insights?
This is a pretty old function of Google (that predates Google+ by several years). I'm surprised this is news.
If anyone around here doesn't already know about it, Google must want it to be very out-of-the-way. I would love to see typical users' reactions to this killer feature: it would be perfect for one of those hidden-camera, person-off-the-street, "No way!" sort of ads.
I turned it off circa 2006 and I'm glad to see that it's still off.
I turned it off circa 2006 and I'm glad to see that it's still off.
There doesn't seem to be any way to export to a machine-readable format. Not even the Google Data Liberation Front seems to be of any help :/
Feeling determined and stubborn, I even tried writing a quick CasperJS script to scrape the page data but quickly ran into two-factor auth obstacles. Since Google won't let you login with an application-specific password and doesn't have any API endpoint which devs can hit to get this data, it makes things rather tricky! Getting easy, downloadable access to this search history directly from Google doesn't seem within the grasp of even a determined developer at this point.
Feeling determined and stubborn, I even tried writing a quick CasperJS script to scrape the page data but quickly ran into two-factor auth obstacles. Since Google won't let you login with an application-specific password and doesn't have any API endpoint which devs can hit to get this data, it makes things rather tricky! Getting easy, downloadable access to this search history directly from Google doesn't seem within the grasp of even a determined developer at this point.
An interesting piece of data they show is how often you click on Ads. I seem to do it about once a week, which I did not expect, as in my mind I almost never click on ads (although in a lot of those searches the Ad just leads to the actual site I'm searching for).
What are your rates, and are they surprising?
What are your rates, and are they surprising?
Looking at it confirmed what I thought: I just click on ads when I dislike the advertiser. Google usually gets a few cents whenever I search for GoDaddy, for example.
Looks like it's either lying, or I mistake ads as real results often.
Challenge time!
Turn off any adblockers you have, and go to this website: http://www.imgburn.com/
your mission is to successfully download the installer to imgburn.
good luck.
Turn off any adblockers you have, and go to this website: http://www.imgburn.com/
your mission is to successfully download the installer to imgburn.
good luck.
Download → Mirror 7.
http://www.commitstrip.com/en/2013/12/09/le-truc-quun-codeur...
http://www.commitstrip.com/en/2013/12/09/le-truc-quun-codeur...
Apparently, the last time I clicked on an ad was December 2013.
I'm not creeped out by it, but I can understand why other people may be.
Total searches: 68452
That is a lot of searches.
That is a lot of searches.
75105 and also not creeped out. Search results are a whole lot more relevant for me when I'm logged in, especially when searching for dev-related topics that oftentimes have very generic, real-world terms with specific meanings in that context.
What kinds of dev-related topics though. Looking up basic language syntax over and over? Fishing for copy&paste-ready code samples?
Or rather badass, sophisticated and cutting edge comp sci topics? Stuff that could ... simplify the application process at any software company?
I'd bet some analysis could show common search patterns, or paths of understanding that programmers go from noob to various levels of enlightenment.
Or rather badass, sophisticated and cutting edge comp sci topics? Stuff that could ... simplify the application process at any software company?
I'd bet some analysis could show common search patterns, or paths of understanding that programmers go from noob to various levels of enlightenment.
71060 since November 21st 2007. (2379 days). Admittedly, I wasn't the only one who was likely getting logged as a searcher for a number of those years. 30 searches per day. That's a lot of searches per day.
To see so many people on here finding this a useful feature I wonder if there are browser extensions which store the search history (independent of the search provider) client-side.
I love how I can access years of search queries for words in other languages in an extension like Instant Translate: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/instant-translate/...
I love how I can access years of search queries for words in other languages in an extension like Instant Translate: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/instant-translate/...
No, I'm not creeped out by it. Largely of course because I have it turned off.
I am however shocked by the fact that so many people are okay with it being legal for any company to collect such data from people we all know full well do not understand the consequences. So called opt-in is by far not sufficient permission for this. That should come with a signed contract that includes penalty clauses that could in extremis bankrupt the company and jail it's owners.
A contract that can only be signed by consenting adults. Google now stalks your children and sells their data. Are you really okay with that?
It's ironic that it's called "history", because we obviously haven't learned anything from it.
I am however shocked by the fact that so many people are okay with it being legal for any company to collect such data from people we all know full well do not understand the consequences. So called opt-in is by far not sufficient permission for this. That should come with a signed contract that includes penalty clauses that could in extremis bankrupt the company and jail it's owners.
A contract that can only be signed by consenting adults. Google now stalks your children and sells their data. Are you really okay with that?
It's ironic that it's called "history", because we obviously haven't learned anything from it.
eponysterical
I guarantee you that this feature will cause many people to get divorced.
You can also opt-out of ad profiling here:
https://www.google.com/settings/u/0/ads
Is there a way to select my entire history and delete it all?
[EDIT] Never mind I found it. It's under "Settings"
[EDIT EDIT] Thanks for migstopheles for the direct link.
[EDIT] Never mind I found it. It's under "Settings"
[EDIT EDIT] Thanks for migstopheles for the direct link.
The question however is whether it's really deleted or just not being displayed to you anymore. Only Google can answer that.
Seriously, nobody wants to read what Google has published a million times, before bitching about Google and it's "complete disregard for users' privacy"?
This is not news. Yes, Google collects your history and associates with your account _if you opt in_, OR it still collects the information anonymously. That's nothing new. Neither is Google the ONLY company doing it. Apple does it. Facebook does it. Microsoft does it. Every tom-dick-harry and their analytics suits do it. Your ISP does it. NSA does it. And your browser, your computer and your phone does it.
At least Google tells you what it collects, how, and let's you control it. It also tells you what happens WHEN YOU DELETE THE HISTORY: (https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/465?hl=en) "When you delete items from your Web History, they are no longer associated with your Google Account. However, Google may store searches in a separate logs system to prevent spam and abuse and to improve our services."
Hacker News - ladies and gentleman.
This is not news. Yes, Google collects your history and associates with your account _if you opt in_, OR it still collects the information anonymously. That's nothing new. Neither is Google the ONLY company doing it. Apple does it. Facebook does it. Microsoft does it. Every tom-dick-harry and their analytics suits do it. Your ISP does it. NSA does it. And your browser, your computer and your phone does it.
At least Google tells you what it collects, how, and let's you control it. It also tells you what happens WHEN YOU DELETE THE HISTORY: (https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/465?hl=en) "When you delete items from your Web History, they are no longer associated with your Google Account. However, Google may store searches in a separate logs system to prevent spam and abuse and to improve our services."
Hacker News - ladies and gentleman.
Well, if you're going to be that paranoid, there's no guarantee that they're not still recording / saving all your searches after you disable saved searches.
The point I'm trying to make is either you trust Google to abide by your wishes and not save your search history, or you don't.
The point I'm trying to make is either you trust Google to abide by your wishes and not save your search history, or you don't.
I don't know about you, but the companies I've worked with don't delete anything - no matter what.
Well, the ones I've worked for do.
It all boils down to risk. Yes, there is some data that companies are required to keep for N years due to auditing, etc. That's unavoidable. But there comes a point where keeping data (especially personal information that is usually covered by numerous laws and 200-page policies from bodies such as the credit card industry) becomes a liability. Companies typically don't like liabilities, and therefor delete it.
Now, there are data that a company might consider keeping because the income generated by keeping it outweighs the risk associated by mishandling it. And you're right, there's no way of knowing what Google considers this to be. But that was my original point- if you don't trust Google to delete your history when you ask, then why do you trust them to not keep it in the first place when you opt-out?
It all boils down to risk. Yes, there is some data that companies are required to keep for N years due to auditing, etc. That's unavoidable. But there comes a point where keeping data (especially personal information that is usually covered by numerous laws and 200-page policies from bodies such as the credit card industry) becomes a liability. Companies typically don't like liabilities, and therefor delete it.
Now, there are data that a company might consider keeping because the income generated by keeping it outweighs the risk associated by mishandling it. And you're right, there's no way of knowing what Google considers this to be. But that was my original point- if you don't trust Google to delete your history when you ask, then why do you trust them to not keep it in the first place when you opt-out?
https://history.google.com/history/settings, there's a link there to delete everything.
EDIT
As you already know.
Thanks! I found it a few seconds later.
I have this and youtube history turned off because both use broken machine learning to try to interest me in nonsense I don't care about each time I search for something.
Example: Yea I clicked on the "Oprah gives a car to everyone" video, but right now I'm trying to watch videos relevant to PHP security, and I don't care to see talkshow outtakes in the "related" sidebar.
Example: Yea I clicked on the "Oprah gives a car to everyone" video, but right now I'm trying to watch videos relevant to PHP security, and I don't care to see talkshow outtakes in the "related" sidebar.
This is news? Isn't this about a decade old now?
My #1 request with Chrome would be if it could sort the history by "last seen/interacted with", not by last opened tab because it would be more accurate when I'm trying to retrace my steps e.g. "I know I was just reading X page 10 minutes ago, but that was a page I opened two hours ago, so it's way way down in the history".
Mine is almost empty, and the stuff in there is just about all dev stuff.
Switching to DDG really took care of this particular problem.
Switching to DDG really took care of this particular problem.
Like dansparza mentioned, this isn't new. If you want to avoid having your searches logged specifically on your google account you could always use an incognito/private session. (Yes, it doesn't stop you from being tracked entirely, but it does limit the effect.)
Also, DDG has severely decreased my search activity.
Also, DDG has severely decreased my search activity.
It surprises me how many people have a google account with their real name and always keep logged in.
Why? The NSA already know everything I'm doing, using a fake name and logging out isn't going to do much to stop that.
You're probably not a target and Google is not the NSA. I don't think capitulating and voluntarily giving them your data helps.
I get utility in return, ie Google's ability to provide better results based on previous context.
I wouldn't call them better results. I for one don't find "the filter bubble" desirable.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filter_bubble
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filter_bubble
Concerns about this seem overblown to me. I get regular comparisons as I have a tablet device that's not linked to any account and also use more than one search engine or browser. I find a marked improvement in the quality of results when I'm logged in, particularly when I'm researching legal or academic topics where I'm more interested in primary sources and long-form article coverage than in (more popular) blog and mainstream news outlet coverage. The other benefit is the personal blocklist, which automatically filters away a vast range of stuff which I know to be crap.
If you don't want to give them your data, you mustn't use Google. Logging out is nothing more than a placebo.
>If you don't want to give them your data, you mustn't use Google.
That is not sufficient. Recipients of your emails must also not use any Google services (also recipients of their emails etc).
That is not sufficient. Recipients of your emails must also not use any Google services (also recipients of their emails etc).
Not using Google is probably the best solution. If you still have to use it for whatever reason, don't give them all your data. The only thing you really have to give them is your search term.
Lack of data is also data. How many people do you think send absolutely empty requests? It probably makes you extremely unique.
Of course there is no proof, but could we agree that Google would make an exceedingly useful front-office for the NSA?
[deleted]
With the forced G+ integration, its hard not to.
How often do you find yourself using G+, and needing to log in?
I turned this off years ago when it first came out. I have no idea if turning this off is a false sense of privacy or not.
Either way, I turned it back on recently. There are a few things Google requires this feature on such as keeping a history on the Google Maps app for Android.
Either way, I turned it back on recently. There are a few things Google requires this feature on such as keeping a history on the Google Maps app for Android.
I'd forgotten about this. I keep thinking about deleting my google account but I have so many accounts linked to it. I host my own email, but I haven't taken the plunge of hooking everything up with that because of what happened with @n.
Note that turning off your google history does absolutely nothing on googles side besides flipping one bit which stops you from having access to the data too. They're still collecting all your searches and associating them with you.
I would have thought I had more than 11K searches. How many searches did you guys have?
I have 21705 and for some reason my history starts from Mar 10, 2013 (I was sure I've had history on for years longer than that), except for some photo searches in 2011 when I was testing an android app.
At any rate, I wish they did more visualizations, and allowed you to see more than the top 5 results for the ones they have.
At any rate, I wish they did more visualizations, and allowed you to see more than the top 5 results for the ones they have.
Total Searches: 75954
I wish I could see my oldest.
I also wish someone would create a script which would search through my searches (!) and infer what my interests are, over time, and display them on a horizontal timeline.
I wish I could see my oldest.
I also wish someone would create a script which would search through my searches (!) and infer what my interests are, over time, and display them on a horizontal timeline.
66k. Aww, I'd have guessed something like 100k. Weirdly disappointed.
I was pleased to see that it's password protected even though I know I was already logged in to "google". Does anyone know what the specific authentication rules are? I'm hoping my History session expires quickly.
I really wish there was a way to see which devices searched for each one. I found one or two entries that I don't remember.
Who is Maurice Frazier? I don't know, but I searched for him today. Time to change the password...
Who is Maurice Frazier? I don't know, but I searched for him today. Time to change the password...
I wonder if a competing search engine would be willing to buy your search loyalty based on your past search volume. It seems like your value as a customer would be pretty easy to calculate with this data.
No thanks. This is what it looks like if you have web history turned off.
http://imgur.com/wgF7Q5J
I've had web history turned off for a while now.
http://imgur.com/wgF7Q5J
I've had web history turned off for a while now.
How is it possible that I only have searches from May (~500). I'm confident I've always been logged in to my google account, though I only re-enabled G+ recently...
Tell me your Top Sites and I will tell you who you are.
My Top sites: 1. www.google.com 2. stackoverflow.com 3. wordpress.org 4. en.wikipedia.org 5. maps.google.com
My Top sites: 1. www.google.com 2. stackoverflow.com 3. wordpress.org 4. en.wikipedia.org 5. maps.google.com
I turned my history off so that I (or someone else) can't see what Google knows about my browsing history (I'm sure Google keep a copy).
Thats useful as well as harmful! If I delete my browsing history from google search and chrome, does Google still backup these deleted history?
I find it is very useful only.But i am wondering how it captures the search in github and searching in other sites?
It is kinda bookmarks simplified
It is kinda bookmarks simplified
Is there a way to download the entire history?
Total Google searches: 63500
I wish there is good api to scrape search hist for analysis..
I wish there is good api to scrape search hist for analysis..
All I get from following the links in the comments is a blue button to turn ON some google feature. Have I avoided opting IN to something nasty thus far?
"Turn your history on"
Me: No thanks, I disabled it long ago although we all know Google prob logs all of your IP activity (ad targeting and stuff)
Me: No thanks, I disabled it long ago although we all know Google prob logs all of your IP activity (ad targeting and stuff)
"Today we reveal our latest feature, where you can get advance notice of how we'll blackmail you!"
Wow, I use Google like, a lot.
Turned it off years ago. Thank goodness.
I had turned it off on my account as well, which is what made seeing two years of search history from myself so surprising. I assume when my account was +'d, this setting was accidentally missed.
Moral of the story, just take a quick look anyways.
Moral of the story, just take a quick look anyways.
Me too, but we know Google (like facebook, etc) probably logs all of your IP activity... that's how ad targeting works
So I always tell my clients to not create new Google accounts just for their site analytics, because Google tracks all kinds of shit in there.
But they don't get it. So when they inevitably give me that account, I go and delete and disable the search history.
But let me tell you. To disable the search history I first need to open that page, and I've seen a bunch of searches I honestly wish I wouldn't have.
But they don't get it. So when they inevitably give me that account, I go and delete and disable the search history.
But let me tell you. To disable the search history I first need to open that page, and I've seen a bunch of searches I honestly wish I wouldn't have.
Wait, you go and delete the search history from someone else's account? And it's your client? Wow. And then you complain about what you see when you're in there?
It's not creepy if you're the one doing it, apparently?
An account specifically created to host a site analytics group, and which clients always accidentally remain logged into.
I think I'll get above your cheap outrage and say I did the right thing by going in and disabling the search history.
I think I'll get above your cheap outrage and say I did the right thing by going in and disabling the search history.
I wouldn't go so far as to say outrage. Let's call it confusion. You advocate deleting the history to your clients, they don't do it, so you go ahead and do it anyway. And along the way, you get bothered by what you see when going into the history pages. If I were in your situation, I'd figure that maybe the client has an unstated reason for not wanting to delete the history and consider it none of my business.
I don't advocate deleting the history of my clients, do you have problem with reading comprehension?
The thing I "advocate" happens to be the best practice recommended by Google (if you'd care to dig into the docs, and no one does) for sharing the administration and viewing of Site Analytics groups (they're called Site Analytics "accounts" which are inside Google "accounts" so you can imagine that many folks get confused over what is what).
The best practice is not to create a new Google account and not to share that account's password with strangers (or even friends). There's a method for sharing just analytics with other Google Accounts, buried in the Site Analytics admin panel.
With that setup, the client will be creating a Site Analytics account within his personal Google account, and sharing said Site Analytics with my personal account. And I won't be able to see, let alone delete or disable their search history. Alas, that's not how things usually go.
People just don't get it, so they create new Google accounts over my head, share it with everyone, and everyone's search history ends up in the shared accounts. So when that accounts gets to me, I delete & disable search history. I know for a fact no one who ever logged into this shared account intended to share their browsing history with people.
Exacerbating the problem is the fact Google accounts are intentionally designed so that you log in and forget you're logged in. Google wants to know who you are. The accounts are also designed so that if you want a standalone account for analytics, it's a full-blown Google account, so you end up with people's search history in there (and a bunch of other services no one asked about, like email, docs etc.). And people don't understand the implications of sharing a Google account they've been logged into.
By the way, thanks for twisting my words and intent out of shape like you did. Now that I've had to waste the time to explain my original post as if to an imbecile, I'm sure everyone reading this will gain clarity about the situation I was describing. Cheers.
The thing I "advocate" happens to be the best practice recommended by Google (if you'd care to dig into the docs, and no one does) for sharing the administration and viewing of Site Analytics groups (they're called Site Analytics "accounts" which are inside Google "accounts" so you can imagine that many folks get confused over what is what).
The best practice is not to create a new Google account and not to share that account's password with strangers (or even friends). There's a method for sharing just analytics with other Google Accounts, buried in the Site Analytics admin panel.
With that setup, the client will be creating a Site Analytics account within his personal Google account, and sharing said Site Analytics with my personal account. And I won't be able to see, let alone delete or disable their search history. Alas, that's not how things usually go.
People just don't get it, so they create new Google accounts over my head, share it with everyone, and everyone's search history ends up in the shared accounts. So when that accounts gets to me, I delete & disable search history. I know for a fact no one who ever logged into this shared account intended to share their browsing history with people.
Exacerbating the problem is the fact Google accounts are intentionally designed so that you log in and forget you're logged in. Google wants to know who you are. The accounts are also designed so that if you want a standalone account for analytics, it's a full-blown Google account, so you end up with people's search history in there (and a bunch of other services no one asked about, like email, docs etc.). And people don't understand the implications of sharing a Google account they've been logged into.
By the way, thanks for twisting my words and intent out of shape like you did. Now that I've had to waste the time to explain my original post as if to an imbecile, I'm sure everyone reading this will gain clarity about the situation I was describing. Cheers.
Your reasoning for not wanting the history saved makes perfect sense. It's making that decision for someone else's account that I don't really understand. Oh well, I guess we disagree, and you have the comfort of not being an imbecile. Cheers.
Yep, this is scary as hell.
EDIT. How Badly would deleting all my history effect my google searches?
EDIT. How Badly would deleting all my history effect my google searches?
I disabled history the first time I saw the option to turn it off (more than few years back), I never had problem finding what I am looking for.
I am sure everybody here knows that this only means that Google apps don't use your history, but it's still saved.
I am sure everybody here knows that this only means that Google apps don't use your history, but it's still saved.
Well considering that I've had it off this whole time, I doubt its that bad. Maybe even you're getting a lighter version of duckduckgo.
I don't think it would. I've had it disabled for a long time and never noticed anything strange.
If anything, it'll improve your searches. I always disable search history, on all my accounts.
Naturally, you can only remove 26 items at a time. Makes perfect sense.
You can actually delete it all on the settings page, as well as turning off your history.
https://history.google.com/history/settings?hl=en
https://history.google.com/history/settings?hl=en
I remember finding this and disabling it a long time ago. Thought I'd regret it later when I realize I don't have a lengthy log of my history with Google, but actually the feeling of not being creeped out is great.
Same here, I disabled it, but they turned it back on apparently.
Thanks, just disabled this crap and deleted everything associated to my search history. This is beyond creepy and I just don't like. I've switched entirely to Firefox/DuckDuckgo since version 29 fixed it's developer tools and I won't switch back to the monolith that is Google.
It's funny, but I trust Microsoft entirely more than Google.
It's funny, but I trust Microsoft entirely more than Google.
I am unconvinced that turning off search history and deleting existing history really does that.
Having a searchable search history feels kinda meta, but this basically solves the problem of "I know I found this webpage a while back but I can't find it again". Ideally this sort of thing would be handled by the browser's history feature and stored locally, but the browser can't (or at least doesn't) correlate between "you searched for this term" and "you clicked this result". I also find that the browser's history search leaves something to be desired, and let's not increase Firefox's memory footprint even more by making it better!
(Browser history is also stored online for most browsers these days, and especially if you use Chrome then Google already have your history anyway).