Monday, November 14, 2005
MercuryNews.com | 11/13/2005 | Google is watching you:
"AS WE SEARCH AWAY, WEB FIRMS GATHER DATA ON OUR HABITS
By John Battelle
Google. Google. Google. It's all we can talk about these days in Silicon Valley, where the 7-year-old company has once again validated our collective belief in the power of technology to change our culture (and make a lot of people rich in the process).
But what are we creating each time we head to Google (or Yahoo, or Ask, or any other search-driven site) and tap our intentions, fears and hopes into their blank boxes and blinking cursors? After all, this is where we first worry about ``cancer symptoms,'' it's where we ``compare prices Chrysler minivan'' and it's how we ``find lost lovers.'' And when you type your own name into Google, are you pleased with the results?
It's no wonder that search has about it the whiff of the holy. But while search is an extraordinary service, we're almost laughably early in its development -- and even earlier in understanding the many ways that search is changing our lives. Using the Web opens worlds of information to us, and in many ways makes it easier to make decisions, forge contacts and transact business. But as more and more information about us moves into the digital realm, we might want to ask whether there are downsides riding along with all those conveniences.
Turn search inside out and you'll get a taste of some far-reaching implications. In other words, don't think about search as a set of your queries and your results, but rather from the point of view of the companies that are providing search to us. Search companies are increasingly capable of tracking our every move online, in effect monitoring our ``clickstream.''
From the platforms that Google, Yahoo and others already have built, we see the outlines of an entirely new digital environment. We already have e-mail with unlimited storage, for example. And maps that include razor-sharp satellite imagery, driving directions and local information all mashed together. Instant messaging with built-in voice telephony, desktop tools that search your desktop and your history of what you've searched for, social networking, news reports, blogging -- you name it, and search companies are now offering it.
Soon, we may see even more search-driven services, for free: free classifieds, free wireless connectivity, and free word processing and office productivity software. (No wonder Microsoft is worried.)..."
"AS WE SEARCH AWAY, WEB FIRMS GATHER DATA ON OUR HABITS
By John Battelle
Google. Google. Google. It's all we can talk about these days in Silicon Valley, where the 7-year-old company has once again validated our collective belief in the power of technology to change our culture (and make a lot of people rich in the process).
But what are we creating each time we head to Google (or Yahoo, or Ask, or any other search-driven site) and tap our intentions, fears and hopes into their blank boxes and blinking cursors? After all, this is where we first worry about ``cancer symptoms,'' it's where we ``compare prices Chrysler minivan'' and it's how we ``find lost lovers.'' And when you type your own name into Google, are you pleased with the results?
It's no wonder that search has about it the whiff of the holy. But while search is an extraordinary service, we're almost laughably early in its development -- and even earlier in understanding the many ways that search is changing our lives. Using the Web opens worlds of information to us, and in many ways makes it easier to make decisions, forge contacts and transact business. But as more and more information about us moves into the digital realm, we might want to ask whether there are downsides riding along with all those conveniences.
Turn search inside out and you'll get a taste of some far-reaching implications. In other words, don't think about search as a set of your queries and your results, but rather from the point of view of the companies that are providing search to us. Search companies are increasingly capable of tracking our every move online, in effect monitoring our ``clickstream.''
From the platforms that Google, Yahoo and others already have built, we see the outlines of an entirely new digital environment. We already have e-mail with unlimited storage, for example. And maps that include razor-sharp satellite imagery, driving directions and local information all mashed together. Instant messaging with built-in voice telephony, desktop tools that search your desktop and your history of what you've searched for, social networking, news reports, blogging -- you name it, and search companies are now offering it.
Soon, we may see even more search-driven services, for free: free classifieds, free wireless connectivity, and free word processing and office productivity software. (No wonder Microsoft is worried.)..."
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