5 ms·

Google is already predicting flu trends. I imagine that could be modified for stocks or just about anything else. http://www.google.org/flutrends/ http://www.g

by abraham 15y ago

Google is already predicting flu trends. I imagine that could be modified for stocks or just about anything else. http://www.google.org/flutrends/ http://www.google.org/flutrends/

jrockway 15y ago
Using search data to predict public health issues is legal and good PR. Using search data to trade on insider information is illegal and bad PR. That's why we do the flu thing and not the stock thing :)
- pnathan 15y ago
  Question. How is it illegal if its publicly scrapable information?
  - jiggy2011 15y ago
    It wouldn't be public information they would be using their own server logs which of course no one else has access to.
    - moe 15y ago
      The information was public already before google scraped it.
- herval 15y ago
  why is using search data to trade illegal?
  - jrockway 15y ago
    Why is using material non-public information to trade illegal? I don't know, I didn't write the law.
    - moe 15y ago
      But everything in google's search-index is public?
      - angusgr 15y ago
        ... but not the interactions of google's users with google's services.
        moe 15y ago
        That's right but how can it be illegal for them to mine their own data? I see it becoming illegal the moment they start looking at my data (e.g. the contents of a private Google doc). But the index of their public search engine consists of public data to begin with. Likewise by entering a phrase into their search box I'm telling them "find this for me". Why should it be illegal for google to mine this data just like Walmart mines the customer requests for barbie dolls? There's obviously a fine line as google juggles with private (e.g. google docs) and public data. But the question as I understood it was about the public portion of their data.
    - herval 15y ago
      search results (and open stuff that google crawls from sites) is PUBLIC... Using INSIDE information (e.g. if you work at a company, therefore having access to undisclosed info) is one thing, but using what's freely on the net? That's what ALL investors do anyway (and it's obviously legal)

by abraham 15y ago

Google is already predicting flu trends. I imagine that could be modified for stocks or just about anything else. http://www.google.org/flutrends/ http://www.google.org/flutrends/

jrockway 15y ago

Using search data to predict public health issues is legal and good PR. Using search data to trade on insider information is illegal and bad PR. That's why we do the flu thing and not the stock thing :)

pnathan 15y ago
Question. How is it illegal if its publicly scrapable information?
- jiggy2011 15y ago
  It wouldn't be public information they would be using their own server logs which of course no one else has access to.
  - moe 15y ago
    The information was public already before google scraped it.
herval 15y ago
why is using search data to trade illegal?
- jrockway 15y ago
  Why is using material non-public information to trade illegal? I don't know, I didn't write the law.
  - moe 15y ago
    But everything in google's search-index is public?
    - angusgr 15y ago
      ... but not the interactions of google's users with google's services.
      - moe 15y ago
        That's right but how can it be illegal for them to mine their own data? I see it becoming illegal the moment they start looking at my data (e.g. the contents of a private Google doc). But the index of their public search engine consists of public data to begin with. Likewise by entering a phrase into their search box I'm telling them "find this for me". Why should it be illegal for google to mine this data just like Walmart mines the customer requests for barbie dolls? There's obviously a fine line as google juggles with private (e.g. google docs) and public data. But the question as I understood it was about the public portion of their data.
  - herval 15y ago
    search results (and open stuff that google crawls from sites) is PUBLIC... Using INSIDE information (e.g. if you work at a company, therefore having access to undisclosed info) is one thing, but using what's freely on the net? That's what ALL investors do anyway (and it's obviously legal)