Google and User Data

FEAR Google THE POWER OF ANALYTICS AND USER DATA GOOGLE HOPES TO PROVIDE THE RICHEST USER EXPERIENCE IN THEIR SERVICES, ESPECIALLY SEARCH, AND ONE METHOD OF DOING THIS IS TO COLLECT USER DATA. EVERY TIME YOU USE ONE OF GOOGLE'S SERVICES. THEY CAPTURE VALUABLE USER INFORMATION. HERE IS INSIGHT INTO HOW AND WHAT THEY ARE COLLECTING. Website analytics software, like Google Analytics, allows web site owners to measure... •Traffic •Popularity •Unique Visitors •Long and short term traffic trends ...but at the same time Google collects this data as well. 57% of the 10,000 most popular 57% websites use Google Analytics Some popular websites that use Google Analytics: twitter myspace Linked in Dailymotion Answers.com Google dominates the traffic monitoring market: 55% Google Analytics: 55% Quantcast Tracking: 17% Omniture SiteCatalyst: 14% 17% 5% Full Circle Studies Beacon: 5% 14% Others: 9% How Google Gets Your Data: Click Tracking: Logs al navigational cicks for everyone in every service. Cookies: They use first party cookies but since they know P addresses, they can still track users even without them. Javascripts: These scripts send Operating System, browser, browser version, location and much more data back to Google. Web Bugs: A 1-pixel x 1-pixel gif that a user unknowingly downloads off checkout screens, sending information about their computers to Google. While users can block cookles from websites, only 7 in 1,000 actually do. Just Some of the User Data Google Collects and Keeps: www. Normal Google Search: Query, P address, Country code domain, Browser www. Google Personalized search: Content analysis of visited websites Google Toolbar: All websites visited, Spelcheck sends data to Google servers ABC Google Translate: Al text Google servers O Google Finance: Stocks, amount of shares, bought at D price Gmail: contact list, Data displayed, Links dicked, all e-mails, All conversations and who they involve in GChat. Adwords: Ads clicked, Age, Sex, Location, Trends of past visited websites, IP address V Google Health: Al of your medical records (blood type, doctors, prescriptions, test results, etc.) Google Services that have no privacy disclosure of what user data is collected: Webmaster Tools • Google Analytics • AdWords • AdSense • Alerts • Reader • Earth 1 petabyte = 1,048,576 GB In 2006, Google had collected over 1 petabyte of user information, spread across approximately 1 million servers. According to Google, they use your data to: Improve their services Maintain security and prevent fraud and abuse Comply with legal obligations to retain data "DON'T BE EVIL" is the unofficial Google slogan. Other web analytics solutions like Piwik offer more security and privacy: • Data is privately stored on the webmaster's server. • Visitors are not continually tracked across websites. Requests sent to Google for user information between 7-1-09 and 12-31-09: THE US GOVERNMENT-3580 BRAZIL - 3663 UK - 1000 These requests were supposedly for criminal investigations. Google has not disclosed the details on how they comply with such requests, but hopes to in the future. INDIA- 100o All of Google's services are free... you just have to give up your information in exchange. SOURCES: HTTP://www.NETMORKWORLD.COM/NEMS/2010/042010-600GLE -YOUTUBE-GOVERNRENT-BATA.HTML HTTP://TRENDS.auILTMI TH.COn/ANALYTICS/600GLE -ANALYTICS HTTP://www.SEONOZ.ORG/aLOG/THE-EVIL-SIBE-OF-600GLE-EXPLORING- GOOG LES USER-DATAILOLECTION HTTP://www. MARKETING FACTS.NL/BERICHTEN/HOM_MANY_PEOPLE_REJECT_COOKIES/ HTTP://Eu.TECHCRUNCH.COM/2009/11/24/G0OGLE - ANALY TICS-ILLEGAL-GERRANY/ MTTP://LOGS.ZINET.COM/NICRO-MARKE TS/?p=1335 HTTP://www.ABVANCED-MES- HETRICS.COM/LOG/2007/07/14/wHO-USES-G00GLE - ANALYTICS/ HTTP://www.CENTERNETHORKS.COM/GOOGLE-ANALYTICS-USAGE HTTP://ROYAL.PINGDON.COM/2008/05/28/G0OGLE-ANALY TIcs- DOMINATE-THE - TOP-500- MEBSITES/ HTTP://BLOG.BATANATION.C On/ILOG/2010/03/How-NUCH-BOES-G.HTAL HTTP://SEARCHENGINEMATCH.COM/3626240 HTTP://ROYAL.PINGBON.COm/2010/01//08/wOM-GOOG LE-COLLECTS - DATA- ABOUT-YOU- AND- THE - INTERNET/ DESIGN BY ELLIE KONING UnlineSchools OnlineSchools.org