Google’s new personal history feature that lets users see all their past search requests and results could be either an invaluable aid or a big embarrassment depending on how you choose to look at it.
First Amendment attorney Lawrence Walters told AVNOnline.com that privacy compromises are always a problem with technological advances like Google’s new My Search History, but he added that only certain circumstances could bring it to court.
“I don’t think a legal challenge would necessarily be successful to the creation or the implementation of the tool,” he said April 21. “But should a government entity or even a private company seek to use it without authorization, that would certainly give rise to an invasion of privacy claim.”
Unwrapped April 20, the My Search History service requires a personal log-in and password and lets users decide whether they want Google to recognize them automatically without more log-ins. The service provides a detailed look at past search activity. That includes particular days, using a calendar feature shown on the history page.
“How many times have you used Google to find an obscure funny website or fun facts about The Wizard of Oz, but then got distracted by other Web pages and tasks? I know—me too,” said Avni Shah, part of the My Search History product team, on Google’s daily blog. “Wouldn't it be great to find them again, and for that matter review all your Google searches over time? Which is exactly why we built My Search History.”
The problem that could arise, however, is that people you don’t think should be reviewing your search activity might find it great to find your old search results again—people like the government, for example.
Representatives for the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the Electronic Privacy Information Center were unavailable for comment, and a call to the Southern California office of the American Civil Liberties Union was not returned before this story went to press. But Walters said abuse possibilities with such a tool as My Search History always abound.
“The more information out there, the more tempting it is to misuse it,” Walters said. “And with the Patriot Act out there as broad as it is and as misused as it is, I would be concerned that [this] would give the government additional [reason] to use this information even without warrant or judicial oversight.”
Google hopes the service becomes valuable enough that Netizens use Google even more than they do now. "We think there is some value in providing people with visibility into their past activity on Google," said director of consumer products Marissa Mayer.
Tell it to World Privacy Forum executive director Pam Dixon, who said using a notebook is “a lot more private and a lot less risky” for keeping a record of past searches. Mayer, for her part, conceded that those who share computers might prefer not to use the new service.
