Chrome browser is sending private search data back to Google - your browser is watching you!

There are many sites I use that have no relationship with Google, let alone Youtube. One site I use is run on a server in Sweden and their search function utilizes their own server database and is not tied to Google's search function at all. If you were to do a search of the site on Google by doing a specific site query like "Keywords site:somedomain.com" example "UFO Alien conspiracy site:abovetopsecret.com" - you would get basically no results b/c the site is not indexed by Google - it is specifically set up to not be indexed by search engines - BUT it has it's own internal search function like many sites.

So I did a search on their site while using Chrome and less than an hour later I started getting recommendations in Youtube on the side preview list and in my home page recommended list - with the same term I had just searched. The one recommended video was released Oct 4 and has almost 8 million views yet in all that time I've never seen that video recommended or listed on the site - and it just so happens to be the same word I searched on this "private" site. The word isn't exactly rare, but it isn't used very often at all, so the chances of this being coincidence are extremely small.

This isn't the first time I've had this experience, I've had similar happenings but I was never sure if the site was using a Google search function within the site which would better explain how they were getting the information so I could never really tell how the information was being obtained and sent to Google. This time I'm certain the site has no links to Google and it has to be the browser sending information back to Google.

I'm pretty certain that the browsers can recognize search functions when it loads a website - it knows when it see's a search box that is not linked to Google (there are many ways to identify these in the code). All the browser has to do is look for these and then pull the search terms your enter into the box and send them back to Google. It probably even tells them what site you searched these terms on.

There has been a lot of talk about browsers watching people and collecting data and many have said it isn't happening and it is only for advertising, etc. Well I know what I just saw has not been admitted to by Google and I know that they are doing this, so I thought I would just make others aware of this if they didn't already know. IDK what browser to use that doesn't scrap user data as I'm guessing many of them may do this.

And you're sure whatever site you visited isnt using Google's search API how? No index directives only prevent bots from crawling the site and indexing.


Read the terms before you use software.

If you're worried just send CURL or Wget request and parse the response, build your own basic browser or select an open source alternative and this problem vanishes.

originally posted by: AScrubWhoDied
And you're sure whatever site you visited isnt using Google's search API how? No index directives only prevent bots from crawling the site and indexing.


Read the terms before you use software.

If you're worried just send CURL or Wget request and parse the response, build your own basic browser or select an open source alternative and this problem vanishes.

I'm certain this site wouldn't use anything related to Google. I've talked to the admins and everyone who uses the site is probably aware of the same thing.

a reply to: DigginFoTroof

I've said this a million times now, but Google sucks. It was good, but it just sucks now. Use DuckDuckGo. Far, far superior.

originally posted by: sine.nomine
a reply to: DigginFoTroof

I've said this a million times now, but Google sucks. It was good, but it just sucks now. Use DuckDuckGo. Far, far superior.

I'm impressed with DDG as well. They have an interesting corporate structure as well and seem to be a decent company to work with/for and make a good product.

a reply to: DigginFoTroof

Where have you been? We got heads up back with old windows 95 and Apple....in 1995.

originally posted by: DigginFoTroof

originally posted by: AScrubWhoDied
And you're sure whatever site you visited isnt using Google's search API how? No index directives only prevent bots from crawling the site and indexing.


Read the terms before you use software.

If you're worried just send CURL or Wget request and parse the response, build your own basic browser or select an open source alternative and this problem vanishes.

I'm certain this site wouldn't use anything related to Google. I've talked to the admins and everyone who uses the site is probably aware of the same thing.

what's the URL? Using dev tools I can say whether that's the case or not.

Just a rabbithole ... Adreno=radeonGPU chrome is walnut sauce...

If this worries you then boycott Google. Personally I don't trust them as far as I can thrown them.

Interestingly I just Googled "How far can I throw Google" and there were 943,000,000 results. I am secure in the knowledge that that search string is now part of Google's vast data empire.

a reply to: DigginFoTroof

Did you know Microsoft, Outllook and google store information about you on the cloud without your knowledge or ever asking you if they could? Well... they do. I logged into my outlook account yesterday and there sat an email from microsoft telling me that my amazon order had been stored on the Calendar... i wasn't too happy about it so erased all the memory of that amazon order and changed my email address on amazon to a different one. That stored info goes to some place in the USA. I don't like these companies knowing what I order when buying online.

We are being monitored everywhere... whatever we do or buy is being recorded and stored. I'm even thinking Amazon and it's owner was a set up by the governments to monitor us more... 'Bezos' works for the Government... he is a secret spy who was given specific orders to set up Amazon.

Yes it's true. Google saves each and everything you do with Google.
But why worry?
Knowing this, you can change the world.
Or influence it at the least.
Use it to your advantage!

a reply to: DigginFoTroof

www.cbsnews.com...

I can talk about something on Steam and get adds pop ups in chrome later. That's even more creepy. It looks like Chrome is malware and it would explain why Chrome is so damn slow.

a reply to: KiwiNite

I can go one better.

I got Diablo 3 shortly after it came out during the time when it was painful trying to get legendaries. One night I got lucky and scored a set of boots called Boj Angelers.

Posted it in the in-game chat bar mentioned the reference to Mr Bojangles. No searches in Chrome or anything, just the chat bar.

Next day I fire up YouTube and what's number one in my recommendations? Yep, Mr Bojangles.

My suspicion is it's the Google crash handler. It's always running.

Hello All,
Forgive me if this has been mentioned but I find it disturbing that Microsoft is replacing Edge (which I don't like anyway) but the replacement will be a move towards a chrome based brower.

www.theverge.com...