[ExI] test for bogus googles, was: RE: phony google

[Michael DeVault]

Also, you cannot discount the Google algorithm's geo-location component. For example, if I Google in my neighborhood "Latex Pizza Swing," (and presuming Comcast is in the mood to accurately reflect my location, which sometimes happens, sometimes doesn't), I might receive notices for a place called Johnny's Pizza on McKeen, Parterre around the corner from my house, and Starr Hardware--the paint store favored by my neighbors in my neighborhood.

That same search--still using Comcast, mind you--across town in my old apartment, might have produced a reference to a Little Caesar's on the corner, a dance hall that no longer exists, and the friendly Sherwin-Williams franchise a block away. 

Looking at the parameters of what you're attempting to discover, I cannot help but notice the flaw in the experiment: the only way you could successfully produce any meaningful data would be to be in the same geographical vicinity (the same apartment complex, for example,) and to repeat the experiment on several different ISPs and machines in each location. Otherwise, there are simply too many unknowns and too much complexity in the Google algorithm to determine if the results you are getting from Google are because of browser histories, geographic nuances, or because the NSA is monitoring your connection. (Hi, guys!)

md



On Aug 7, 2013, at 7:34 PM, Mike Dougherty <msd001 at gmail.com> wrote:

> On Wed, Aug 7, 2013 at 7:41 PM, spike <spike at rainier66.com> wrote:
>> Ja that occurred to me too: websites change, so I assume Google is
>> constantly updating.  There might be system settings and filters which
>> spring into action whenever they see the words “latex” and “chicken”
>> together for instance.
> 
> Google also tracks your previous searches.  They use something like 30
> data points of tracking information even when you aren't logged in
> (and many more when you are).
> 
> Perhaps you should just assume there is always some agency taking
> advantage of you while you are online.  You mission (should you care
> to accept it, etc.) is to decide which agency you'd like to have
> taking advantage of you then maximize that relationship while
> minimizing the others.
> 
> btw, have you googled "askew" ?
> 
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