A new feature launched by Google, the Internet's most popular search engine, allows users to see all their past searches. But privacy experts warn the service could easily be abused, reports UPI.
The service, called My Search History, is similar to, but more comprehensive than, the feature Amazon.com, Ask Jeeves and America Online have offered for some time.It is intended to help people who use Google locate the information they sought during earlier searches so they can avoid repeating past queries.
"If you don't remember an exact search query, for instance, but do remember when you did the search, you can use My Search History's calendar feature to check the searches you did on a given day and navigate to any of them with a single click," the Google site says.
People also can do a full-text search over their entire search history."You can review everything Google has ever shown you about apples, bass fishing or 'The Wizard of Oz,' by clicking on the Related History link next to any search term when it appears," Google says.
This may sound interesting and useful, but computer experts said there are risks to privacy the technology has now generated."People should review the site's privacy policy before using the service," said Tom Guida, an intellectual property attorney with Baker & Hostetler LLP in New York.
"The main privacy concerns come down to two issues," said Tom Mighell, senior counsel with the Dallas law firm of Cowles & Thompson."Allowing Google to store your search history on their computers - this really depends on how you feel about other people storing your data.
"As long as Google holds up its end of the privacy policy, that information should remain safely on its servers," he said.The privacy policy ensures the consumer's data will not be provided to third parties without the users consent, but it cannot prevent hackers from obtaining the data illicitly or that police will not be able to obtain it with a warrant.
"A potentially more serious issue concerns computers that are used by more than one person," Mighell said."To use My Search History, you have to be logged in. If you forget to log off, and someone else uses your computer, he is able to view your search history."
There are some built-in security features, though, which may help the average person."The ability to remove any or all of your search history, or the ability to 'pause' collection of search history for an indefinite period of time," Mighell said, "but will people remember to use those features?"
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