Beware online "filter bubbles"

(This post is a response to Gary's Exercise 8 - CURRENT AWARENESS POST . 
It is also posted as a comment on Gary's post to respond Gary's Blog Exercise 16– comment on your teachers blog)


It is a great topic about the freedom on Internet.

I checked Google support document and found some basic information about Google's Personized Search (http://www.google.com/support/accounts/bin/answer.py?answer=54041)

Signed-in personalization:

Just try this page: https://www.google.com/history/  (login if you need).  You see what?  YES!!! every single step you take is recorded in google's search history.  You may have secret to your partner, but you can't have secret to Google!!!


Ok, so, I will never login when I do search, uh....?  THE SAME THING!!!

 Signed-out customization: 

This time google use "cookie"!  

There was a proveb I had heard when I started using MSN: "nobody knows you are a dog on internet".  But actually when you online, a lot of your personal data are leaking.  Through you ip address your geographic location is busted.   Through the cookie, all your secrets are there.  Now, if you are using Windows XP or Windows 2000, go to C:\Documents and Settings\<username>(or Administrator is you have only one account)\Cookies\  [normally at drive C:]

Now what you can see in that directory? all the important website's info are all there.  Try to double click and open one.  yes, maybe you can recognize the codes, but....somebody CAN!!!

yes, there are some way to stop these information leaking such as turn off google's search history record or setting your cookie in your browser.  But, just try it, and you will found that it feels like you shut off all the windows and doors of your house in a sunny December Sunday afternoon.