Here is another example of ‘free’ services being anything but that. I use Google Chrome as my browser of choice on my iMac. When I set my new iMac up I installed Chrome and logged in. Instantly the browser was set up just the way I liked it and that is really useful. However, the price you pay is that Google knows exactly what you are looking at.
I’ve been researching the Canon G1x over the past few days and searching for products relating to that. Google now configures the adverts that appear along side the blog pages I read accordingly. The two screen captures are of the same tech blog – Mashable (http://mashable.com/2012/08/28/most-expensive-gadgets/) – the same page viewed in Chrome, with an advert tailored to my recent search history, and viewed in Safari where the adverts are much more general. I would guess that Google is paid more for adverts aimed at the user than not.
This is hardly a startling revelation but it is just a small example of what information we are giving to Google and one of the reasons why Google was kicked off the iPhone. However, this was not an altruistic move on the part of Apple but rather that they wanted to collect this data for themselves and then sell it on. May the Force be with you.
PS
This email was written in the Google Chrome browser so I guess there will be more harvesting of info by Google somewhere along the way.
Simon Marchini
Web: http://WWW.simonmarchini.co.uk
