CLICKHERDER

Google just wants to help you.  And things would go a lot easier if you’d just allow Google to know more about you.  Eric Schmidt says “the goal is to enable Google users to be able to ask the question such as ‘What shall I do tomorrow?’ and ‘What job shall I take?’”  He forgot to mention questions like “D’ya think she digs me?” and “May I go outside?”

What Does Google Know?

Let’s take a look at the ways that Google knows all about you and your preference for custard over tapioca:

Google Search - This is where it all started.  Google knows general information about unidentified individuals and their search patterns.  (Pretty innocuous stuff, really.)

Adsense/Adwords (for content) - Google knows where specific, unidentified individuals surf across a huge network of millions of Adsense ad publishers.

Gmail -  A really darned good email program, minimal ads, huge storage limits.  Scout’s honor they will not mine your emails for personal information.  Probably.  Whatever they do or don’t do with that information, let’s face it: Google knows who’s sending you email, receiving email from you, and what’s in those emails.

Blogger - Google knows what you’re blogging about.

PicasaWeb - Google knows what your children look like.  Google knows what you did last summer.

GoogleMaps - Google knows where you’re going.

Google Suggest - Google knows what you were about to type.

Google Spell Chek - Google knows what I mean.

Google Personalized Search - Google knows what you’re looking for; all your Google searches are conveniently (re)searchable, and are tied to the same identity you use to read your Gmail.

Google Browser Sync - Google knows which sites you were looking at when you closed your browser.  Google knows your home IP address, your work IP address, your coffee shop IP address and any other IP address from which you use this service.

Google Desktop (Search Across Computers) - Google knows what’s on your computers.

Google Analytics/Webmaster Tools - Google knows which websites are yours.  Obviously, Google thus knows who’s linking to you, and who you’re linking to.  Google knows how much traffic you’re getting.  Google knows how well you know SEO.

Google Checkout - Google knows what you bought.  Google knows what you sold.

YouTube - Google knows what you sound like.  Google knows what you think is funny.  Google knows practically anything you’re willing to tell the camera.  Google knows which websites have your videos videos embedded in them, even if those websites have nothing to do with Google.

Google Web History - Thanks to a handy FireFox extension, Google knows every site you visit through your browser.

DoubleClick - Google knows more: acquired for a cool $3.2 billion, DoubleClick’s cookies extend Google’s reach further than ever before, probably farther than any other single corporate entity.

The question is not whether Google can get information about private citizens.  Google already knows more than Santa Clause: they are sitting on top of a huge stack of information about you.  The question is “What will they do with it?” 

The answer: they are using as much of it as they dare in order to put ever more relevant ads in front of you.  Luckily they haven’t distinguished themselves as particularly daring.  For example, when the authoritarian communist government of China demanded Google participate in the filtering of information made available to their citizens, they rolled right over and let that government tell them exactly how to run their business.

Are you concerned about Google knowing so much about you?  If you are, you can be sure Google knows it.  “Mr. Schmidt said this year that the company was working on technology to reduce concerns.”  Whew, thank goodness for that.

Filed by Joel at 7:28 pm under Web Marketing