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So you think that if you don't click anything, Google doesn't log your query and IP? That's so endearing.

• kazinator 10y ago
  Of course it does! But note that in the above case, the investigators didn't have to get anything from Google (and Google wouldn't just hand over that info to a bunch of insurance investigators). They got the IP addresses from their own site dedicated to that case, which was getting hits from someone searching precisely for that.
• kazinator 10y ago
  And, by the way, Google could figure out who you are even if you don't search for yourself, but only search for the same kind of stuff you've always been searching for. Someone faking their death is screwed here. Just like "content ID" can determine the identity of audio work even if it has been disguised, Google can match the activity pattern of user X to some existing pattern of user Y, potentially revealing that X = Y.