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I agree that I could care less about all of this stuff, it's the search data that matters. Imagine taking a look at a month of someone's search data, it would
by wdewind 16y ago
I agree that I could care less about all of this stuff, it's the search data that matters. Imagine taking a look at a month of someone's search data, it would be revealing (it might even be revealing to look back over years of your own search history).
But as for the question of forever anonymization I think you have misunderstood:
The data will not be traceable back to a single computer or user. The link between searches is the IP address, and it would be pretty hard to identify a single IP address without the final two octets (ie 255.255.255.255 -> 255.255). It definitely wouldn't be impossible (nothing is), but I would bet it would be within the level of difficulty that many other more privacy-violating things would.
Furthermore, my ISP changes my IP address very frequently (my guess would be about every 48 hours), and even if it was static, I would not have had the same IP for a very long time (moved frequently, etc).
The cookie is the only link between the IP addresses, once you've ambiguated the IP's it's pretty hard to connect the numerous IPs one person would have to people.
The sources you submitted were not very explanatory and have nothing to do with Google, respectively.
http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2007/03/google_to_anony/ http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2007/03/google_to_anony/
- udp 16y agoThe other data stored with your searches could be way easier to track you from than your IP address: http://panopticlick.eff.org/ http://panopticlick.eff.org/ It would (theoretically) be easy to determine which searches are all by the same person using data like that, and then you just have to find one of those searches that reveals their identity.
- nyellin 16y agoYou are mostly correct. According to an Ars Technica article from last year [1]: * Google anonymizes the last octect of your IP address after 9 months. (So there are 254 possible IP addresses for each search.) * The search cookie is kept intact for 36 months (3 years). When I posted before, I incorrectly remembered reading that the search cookie is stored forever. Thanks for catching my mistake. Edit: Regarding the sources, I think that Google's FAQ deliberately skimps on the details. I posted the AOL link because it is a good example of what can happen when search data is leaked. [1] http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2010/03/google-keeps-your-data-to-learn-from-good-guys-fight-off-bad-guys.ars http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2010/03/google-keeps...
- magicalist 16y agoam I missing something with that 36 months? from the ars article: "After 18 months, Google anonymizes the unique cookie data stored in these logs." a 2.5 year old searchengineland article also says they use a hash function using keys that are discarded every day, which means that search streams will be 24 hours long apiece: http://searchengineland.com/anonymizing-googles-server-log-data-hows-it-going-15036 http://searchengineland.com/anonymizing-googles-server-log-d...
- nyellin 16y agoUrgh. I was severely sleep deprived last night and I am starting to feel that I shouldn't have posted at all. You are correct about 18 months.
- teraflop 16y ago> Furthermore, my ISP changes my IP address very frequently (my guess would be about every 48 hours), and even if it was static, I would not have had the same IP for a very long time (moved frequently, etc). This isn't true for everyone. I have cable internet from Time Warner, and my theoretically "dynamic" address hasn't changed in at least a year.
- 108 16y agoYou will be truly ANON, if you Install TOR and set preferences to delete all the cookies with each browser instance.
- rick_2047 16y agoImagine taking a look at a month of someone's search data, it would be revealing Please explain to me how would any random person get that? Actually how would anyone get that data if you have not already done something which throws suspicion on you.