Posted on 09/27/2013 3:40:06 PM PDT by matt1234
After having made a big push to increase the use of encrypted searches two years back, Internet search giant Google has apparently cut off keyword data altogether, and has confirmed that it is forwarding users to Google SSL Search even if they are not signed in.
In a statement made earlier this week, Google said that all its users who had logged into its service - for example, to check Gmail - would be forwarded to the Google SSL Search, if they wanted to carry out some online search.
With Google's statement revealing that the company has switched all searches over to encrypted searches using HTTPS, it is quite evident that keyword data will not be passed to site owners any more.
Given the fact that encrypted Google searches do not pass the keyword data through to websites, the ability of the sites to track users with the help of their keyword searches is eliminated. As such, it is not possible for most website owners to segment users by keywords within their web analytics software.
With regard to Google move to cut off keyword data completely, a Google spokesperson told Search Engine Watch: "We added SSL encryption for our signed-in search users in 2011, as well as searches from the Chrome omnibox earlier this year. We're now working to bring this extra protection to more users who are not signed in."
Bout time. Everyone should do this.
Isn’t that checkable?
What good is this if they still hand all your info over the the NSA anyway?
It helps keep random packet sniffers at bay. It doesn’t facilitate the NSA, in theory it stops them from doing anything without Google’s help, which of course they already get, so it doesn’t mean anything on that front.
Oh, sure. NOW you can trust Google, sure.
They’re sorry, and....all that stuff.
NOW they’re really worried about your privacy.
Ya think?
I use Ixquick.com - no tracking. Related to startpage.
Also, everyone should check out some of the privacy and anonymity tools referenced at https://prism-break.org/
I noticed.
Phew. Wipes forehead.
Sorry, I don't understand your question.
https://
They didn’t use that before?
I don't know that it's any good at all, except to google and their friends.
Try https://StartPage.com and soon to come StartMail.com for a more secure experience.
They didn’t use that before?
They have been using it for logged-in users for a couple years. Now they are using it for all seaches, regardless of whether the user is logged in.
No doubt the NSA has cracked HTTPS, and want to make sure foreign intel agencies with less advanced IT expertise don’t get free access to the keyword search stream without spending the money/resources to crack HTTPS on their own dime.
It prevents anyone from snooping on your web searches, unless they have the private key for Google's SSL certificate.
Whether anyone but Google has the private key is open to discussion. However, you can configure Firefox (and perhaps Chrome) to only use Diffie-Hellman key exchange. There's no known man-in-the-middle attack for that, even if you have the private key.
Unfortunately, you will find that you can't connect to some secure websites. If I turn off all cipher suites without Diffie-Hellman key exchange, I can't access my bank's website.
could this have anything to do with why
stuff in the google search box (on my
cell) loads really slow? ...for the last 10
days to two weeks
Why?
This look like a money grab on google's end and a tremendous blow to small online businesses that analyze keywords to bring in customers.
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