Google Patent for User Targeted Search Results
Posted by
ScuttleMonkey
on Sun Nov 06, 2005 01:52 PM
from the in-the-crosshairs dept.
from the in-the-crosshairs dept.
lorenbake writes "Scoble is one of many to report that Google has filed a patent for user targeted, or attention targeted, search results which will change the ranking of Google's organic results per each individual user based upon that user's search behavior, location, sites visited, and even 'typing behavior'. How could Google build such user profiles to serve customized organic (non-paid) results to? Tracking via their network of desktop apps, advertising, Gmail, and other network services."
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Google Patent for User Targeted Search Results
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Do No Evil (Score:5, Funny)
~S
Re:Do No Evil (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:Temptation risk VERY high (Score:4, Insightful)
Unfortunately, in the real world, things are not so black and white.
Grant your trust for the right reasons (Score:5, Informative)
Helped Chinese authorities to censor their subjects' Internet access.
(http://www.cdrinfo.com/Sections/News/Details.asp
Selectively approved and refused ads, based on political content.
(http://www.unknownnews.net/google.html [unknownnews.net])
(http://www.thenation.com/doc/20040830/reilly [thenation.com])
Permanently collected search history for everyone who has ever used their site.
(http://www.google.com/intl/en/privacypolicy.html [google.com]
(http://www.techweb.com/wire/ebiz/161500535 [techweb.com])
Permanently collected/indexed the email history and content of all gmail users, for marketing and law-enforcement use.
(http://mail.google.com/mail/help/privacy.html [google.com])
Filed obvious software patents.
(Refer to this slashdot story.)
For me, when people's actions directly contradict their words, I reduce my trust in them accordingly. Google can keep claiming to "do no evil," but the words are becoming more and more empty.
"How is it evil? It could be evil because its very powerful but in the right hands.. it could be good for everyone."
There's a simple way to tell if someone is likely to abuse power. When someone collects power over you, and states that it's for a purpose which doesn't require that power, you are being misled.
Big Brother is watching (Score:2, Funny)
(http://ultima-inet.kicks-ass.org/~multima | Last Journal: Wednesday June 14 2006, @03:43PM)
Evil, Google. Google, Evil. (Score:4, Funny)
The main reason any big company patents anything is so they can violate the patents of other companies.
"What's that, Microsoft? We're violating your patent #314159265? Well you're violating our patent number #299792458. Lets call it even, shall we?"
Help me Slashdot!!! (Score:5, Funny)
The Google Future (Score:1)
geez (Score:1, Funny)
Filing a patent is EVIL (Score:1, Funny)
Just my 2 cents... (Score:5, Insightful)
(http://butsuri.homelinux.net/)
I just want to say that I hove no problem with targeted advertising at all. If there is a way that does not impose on my personal freedoms to selectiviely show me things that I might be interested in purchasing it is not only ok but much preffered to the massive spamvertisement campaigns that go on now.
Re:Just my 2 cents... (Score:4, Insightful)
(http://www.chriscanfield.net/)
That having been said, it is the database about me which is a bit creepy. But, as huge databases about me already exist I can't complain too much. I've always said that if we had perfect transparency, everyone's "freakish oddities" would seem normal.
All I want.. (Score:5, Insightful)
(http://www.fugitivethought.com/)
Disposable personalities (Score:3, Interesting)
This is awesome! (Score:5, Insightful)
All the world's information (Score:5, Insightful)
(http://slashdot.org/)
Fine by me (Score:5, Insightful)
(Last Journal: Sunday September 19 2004, @10:03PM)
Re:Fine by me (Score:5, Funny)
(http://dboyle.pbwiki.com/)
Cradle-to-Grave Ad Tracking (Score:5, Interesting)
Welcome to the future (Score:5, Insightful)
Are patnets evil? (Score:2, Insightful)
It's already being done (Score:5, Informative)
(http://www.slashdoc.com/)
Filing patents to prevent patent misuse (Score:3, Insightful)
(http://www.pojo.us/)
For example, if you sign up for a personalized google page, they'll start tracking your searchs, and they will even let you go back and look at the searches that you made weeks ago.
I personally like this kind of stuff. It's useful to me if I forgot to bookmark a site that I liked, I can go back through my search history and find the site again.
What were you expecting? (Score:3, Informative)
TANSTAAFL.
Subject (Score:1)
(http://www.milliondollarscreenshot.com/)
Get ready to watch ... (Score:5, Funny)
(http://www.neilgunton.com/)
I can see it now, future headline:
Google CEO Revealed as Beelzebub Prince of Darkness, Mountain View New 7th Circle of Hell
Slashdot comments:
"Well, you know, Satan *is* very misunderstood"
"Gmail still rocks! I don't care if the Google minions sacrifice a kitten every time I check my mail, as long as I have my 100 TB of storage! Whoohoo!"
"I just sold my eternal soul for more relevant search results - but hey, I got a great price on this DVD player! Thanks Asmodeus!"
"My monitor smokes a bit when I do searches now, but hey - I can find out what all my friends have been *really* thinking about me! Hey, this new GoogleBrainCrawler kicks butt! Go Google! But
"Yahoo! made a deal with the ancient Nordic Gods but they're just playing catch up at this point"
"Jeez guys, if it was Microsoft making a deal with Belial then we'd be all over it but just because it's Google, you're all
you are what you buy (Score:3, Funny)
(http://www.moviepig.com/)
Okay, here's a tinfoil-wrapped theory for your light enjoyment:
Psychologists have long claimed that advertising affects our psyches (e.g., cartoon shows' cereal and toy ads, the NFL's beer ads...). Google proposes to detect those changes in our psyches, and presumably to reinforce them. This could amount to a self-fulfilling and dangerous feedback-loop... resulting in mental image-burn, if not outright transformation. Before the body-snatching takes hold, I'm writing my congressperson...
it's all good (Score:5, Insightful)
Privacy isn't such an issue on this considering Google already has this information on a per user level - this probably doesn't raise any additional privacy concerns.
OK... exactly how does one reconcile... (Score:1)
-k
They probably have to do this (Score:5, Insightful)
However, if Google starts using this patent to thwart their competition then they'll be making a mockery of their own do-no-evil slogan.
Weaving A Story (Score:3, Funny)
(http://obsessivemathsfreak.org/ | Last Journal: Friday June 09 2006, @08:15PM)
Defensive Maneuver? (Score:2)
Bloody 'ell! (Score:2, Informative)
(http://www.televisio...com/show.cgi?show=44)
If you don't want to support the 767-buying [independent.co.uk], patent-filing search engine [google.com], you could switch to ...
... the search engine [yahoo.com] that snitches on dissidents [iht.com] to the secret police of totalitarian China!
... the search engine run by a bullying monopoly that has run afoul [cfo.com] of anti-trust laws.
... the search engine [a9.com] of another company looking to exploit the patent system.
Suddenly I'm wishing at least one university had held on to its search engine (Stanford had Google and Berkeley Inktomi) before spinning it out to make bucks.
Sweet Revenge (Score:3, Funny)
Wow, cool (Score:1)
(http://www.the-h.net/)
Google and Privacy (Score:5, Insightful)
In a couple of years, we will probably be discussing Google and privacy concerns just like we discuss Microsoft and security concerns now.
"No, really, they have to do this" (Score:1)
My slashdot policy book must be out of date. Didn't we all agree software patents were evil?
amazon doing that ? (Score:3, Insightful)
e.g.
My visitor is looking at portable mp3 audio players for the last 5 visits, you want to display an ipod commercial instead of a hairdryer.
When that user searches for "moby audio tracks" you will present results ranked higher for places that sell mp3 other than LPs.
Respect to google, but I think it is also a common knowledge patent. I mean what I mentioned is an afternoon of SQL query tuning that I do not want to compare to millions of results organized by google, but at the end that patent seems to cover a bunch of similar practices that fall under the
"search result ordering based on user behaviour"
the typing issue is a good idea though
I guess it also includes typo watch, misspell watch and similar
now google will start displaying ads about "quit drinking" or "hangover pills" when compared to my normal daily typing I start typing terribly on a late Saturday night ? ARE YOU DRUNK ?
now google just needs to start putting a HAL-like glowing red eye and microphones into our rooms, an anal implant and urine and stool analyzer to provide perfect results
off topic:
I mentioned it already , but interestingly the more and more google refines it's algo, the more and more I find myself using other search engines, as some of the things I am searching for provide less and less usable information for me...
for tech stuff google is unbeatable, however shopping/comparing and travel, I turn to yahoo more and more nowadays.....
Personalized Search (Score:1)
(http://steve.blogdns.org/)
Personalized Search Help [google.com]
So that's why... (Score:5, Interesting)
Often, when trying to find some information at work, I'll try a Google search, and
make a note of the search terms in order to continue working at home. Then when I go
home and type in the same set of keywords, I'll get a completely different set of
search results, with the articles I was reading now missing.
a-ok (Score:2, Interesting)
(http://justin-cook.com/wp)
I don't see this as an invasion of privacy. I see it as a business filling the need of a customer, one who wants to find the exact information they're looking for, and instantly.
Teaching someone to search? (Score:3, Interesting)
(http://infinitejest.org/)
As a simplified example, consider how the agriculture professor and a freshman student may end up with wildly divergent search results for "Onion"...
Patents always Evil? (Score:2, Interesting)
Apt quotefest... (Score:1, Funny)
(http://www.ragabonds.org.uk/)
Well done Google... another patent... another cool app... but then all in all it's just another brick in the wall.
NSLs (Score:1)
Ever heard of blocking cookies? (Score:2)
(http://www.spreadfir...amp;id=12239&t=1)
To thwart world domination, use your browser to block everything except session cookies from Google. This will allow you to keep using Gmail and your Gmail Notifier Firefox extension, etc. while keeping Google from tracking you across the Internet./p.
Can you request to see your own information? (Score:1)
Cool! (Score:3, Funny)
(http://www.colingregorypalmer.net/)
A little scary but... (Score:1)
(http://www.richgentlemenhide.com/)
stumble! has a decent enough database of me, matched up to a decent enough database of other users so that websites I visit through it are entirely relevant to me, however they are also *limited* to the select group of current interests, not really allowing for any drastic changes of interests, and indeed funnelling you only into areas that are already relevant to you.
Google may be able to address this using this system (or alternatively it may further limit peoples ability to see other peoples ideas by accident)
Blogedy, blog, blog (Score:3, Interesting)
(http://home.hiwaay.net/~jimes | Last Journal: Tuesday August 08 2006, @10:03AM)
It would be helpful if submitters included such links directly rather than sending all the interested
Analogy (Score:2)
(http://www.phor.net/)
You walk into a library in Mountain View, CA and talk to a librarian. You ask her to help you find some stuff about rosa parks [google.com]. And PS, this librarian is hot, you talk to her all day every day. She recognizes you and gets to know you as time goes on. And you sometimes give her mail to send, which she makes clear that she will read to get a better understanding of you. And she sometimes tells you when she thinks you'll be interested in one of her sponsors. She is also kind enough to completely forget who you are if you ask her. Oh, and she gives great head.
Another day you walk into a store in New York, NY (doubleclick.net). You find there a man who somehow knows most of the books the hot librarian in Mountain View told you about. He also knows your credit card number and your mother's maiden name. He stabs you and takes you wallet, fleeing the scene.
Hope that clears it up.
P.S. Google search history now allows you to "star" visited pages and add "tags" to them, exactly like delicious. Only thing is, you can use multiple word tags.
Re:In Solvat Russia... (Score:1)