Google keying into your "Christian" status?

[Mark_13]

I just started posting on this forum about a month ago - hadn't really posted on any Christian forums at all. Well today I do a google search related to jquery (a web programming language) and I get I side column in Google of pictures of three individuals under the heading, "People and Pages related to jquery". Well, I had never seen before any pictures of private arbitrary people posted like that in Google. Wondering if its related to these banner ads being run by Google recently regarding "Important changes to our privacy policy."

But what really got to me, is that next to one of the three individuals in his little bio, is his priorities: "Christian, Family and Work".

Now, I feel it is somewhat plausible that the reason I'm getting Christian individuals listed on a Google search page (even though I wasn't searching related to that), is that some how the Google Bots are picking up on my increasing activity on the web in that regard. But I can't really figure it out, as the only Bible-related sites I've been hitting with any frequency is this site and blueletterbible.org. But at any rate,I guess Google and Company figure "Christian" is just one more marketing profile attribute to exploit for who knows what.

Well Google et. al., as a Christian, here is my Christian message: Scr*w You.
We'll see if you still think "Christian" is just a marketing attribute when you're in Hell for eternity.

 

[HAMel]

...with this new technology every thing you do on the internet is being tracked by one arm of the government or another. Every e-mail; every facebook account; every Twitter account; every website, including this one and it all falls under the title of "Homeland Security".

I just read on Yahoo that Target Store has so finely tuned in one personal buying habits they can determine if someone is pregnant and, based on the color of items purchased they can decide if a woman is expecting a boy or a girl.

Those scanners work at the speed of light seeking certain words which we use. If you spent an hour "blowing up" balloons for your child's party their scanners will pick up on it.

It's Big Brother/One World Government for sure. Scary. Hey, just consider your debit card. We use the card instead of cash. With the cash there's no way to track much but with the card, piece of cake.

...of course, google is doing what they do for "your benefit", right?

 

[Mark_13]

Those scanners work at the speed of light seeking certain words which we use. If you spent an hour "blowing up" balloons for your child's party their scanners will pick up on it.

How does that work exactly - you don't mean blowing up balloons in your own home do you?

On a tangential subject, I've often thought that the years and years of big brother-type shows on T.V, has had something to do with conditioning the public in advance for the surveillance society. I think they've had certain capabilities for years but have to condition the public to accept it all so they won't freak out. ("The War on Terror", etc. its all a master plan, to make people think that threats are everywhere and only the government can save us.

I kind of regret my response in the OP, but I get just such a feeling of violation - some robot is telling me, "Yes we know you're a Christian now - we have an entire marketing and social profile of that."

 

[HAMel]

Pick any word and type it into google. I just typed in the word "bull", like a four legged bull in a pasture.

At the top of the page google reflects, "About 499,000,000 results (0.16 seconds)" with the first link to, "Bull - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia."

If you send an e-mail telling a friend you spent an hour "blowing up" balloons their scanners pick up on the words, "Blowing up". Do a search on "blowing up" and see the results. "About 27,400,000 results (0.13 seconds)"

If your e-mail brags of your intent at blowing up some structure around town you're probably gonna get a visit from a SWAT 'em team. Blowing up balloons for a birthday party won't raise an eyebrow. On the hand, should you be blowing up balloons seven days a week for "the birthday party" said language could be understood as a code word.

 

[Benjamin]

Pick any word and type it...

In light of this, are you sure you should be saying:

…blowing up some structure around town

Because, this is a religious site and saying things like:

…blowing up some structure around town

Might lead to unwanted attention, especially when you start talking about:

…a code word.

I mean they might be picking up on that you are:

Talking about a code word and blowing up some structures around town.

Just saying.

:smilewinkgrin:

 

[HAMel]

In light of this, are you sure you should be saying:

Perhaps.

 

[thegospelgeek]

Two words paranoia and coincidence

 

[HeDied4U]

Those scanners work at the speed of light seeking certain words which we use. If you spent an hour "blowing up" balloons for your child's party their scanners will pick up on it.

So if I say (often enough) that I live in a White House and I spent all day Blowing Up balloons, I could be expecting a visit from DHS?

:laugh:

 

[Oldtimer]

Two words paranoia and coincidence

No & No

...... after The Wall Street Journal reported that the Internet giant was bypassing privacy settings of people who used Apple Inc.'s Web browser on phones and computers. http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/02/18/lawmakers-target-google-over-privacy-laws/

Spend some time googling all the troubles Google has had with lawsuits over privacy issues. And not just this latest one. I stopped using Google about 6 months (maybe more) ago because of some of their tactics.

Coincidence... one of the games I play with search engines is to use zipcodes from various cities in this general area. For example, if I need to know the price of a tool a Lowes Home Improvement, I'll use the zipcode of a city 50 miles away. Then, later watch the targeted ads from that city appear in my ramblings around the net.

If this matter of privacy weren't so serious it would be laffable at what pops up as targeted ads. Oh, and while we're at it, Facebook is collectin data, too. Take a look at their lawsuit record.

IMHO, much of this is a "game". XYZ does it until they get slapped with a lawsuit. Promise to change. Blame it on a programming error, etc. Then, establish they establish another backdoor that runs until it's also discovered.

In the meantime, the data minning files grow larger. There's no telling how many databases I'm in right now. The scary part is those databases are being linked together. Just one example: medical records tied together to "prevent errors" in patient care. That sound innocent enough, until those records are linked to federal records for insurance purposes. And, linked to Homeland Security, and to whatever department has it's fingers in energy conservation (green), etc & etc.

Again, No and No.

PS: I spent 17 years in the data processing industry. Watched the progress as each breakthrough further enabled information systems to be tied together. Used to have a cartoon on my wall.

Mainfame computer on one side. Personal computer on the other side. Between was an Einstein figure with a finger on each. Caption: The missing link.

Watched the missing link (2 different systems communicating with each other) appear in reality.

 

[HAMel]

Paranoia is but a "Heightened Sense of Awareness". Consider combat troops. Their "paranoia" keeps 'em alive. Being "paranoid", on the other hand, might be a problem for sure.

 

[Crabtownboy]

Google may be childs play compared to what is coming with Facebook. It appears that if you are going to use the Internet effectively in the future you will be forced to have a facebook account.

Read the linked article:

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2105972,00.html

If you do not subscribe to Time you cannot read the entire article online. Go to your local public library and read it there.

It seems that Big Brother is not and will not be the government, but Facebook. I have resisted opening a Facebook account. That may have to change ...............

 

[HAMel]

...I closed up my facebook page.

 

[matt wade]

It appears that if you are going to use the Internet effectively in the future you will be forced to have a facebook account.

Baloney...

 

[matt wade]

Two words paranoia and coincidence

Words of wisdom.

 

[Crabtownboy]

Baloney...

Spoken like a man who did not read the article.

 

[matt wade]

Spoken like a man who did not read the article.

I have read the article. Care to tell us what part of it validates the claim of "It appears that if you are going to use the Internet effectively in the future you will be forced to have a facebook account."?

The article goes on and on about the features of Facebook, specifically the Timeline feature. The article didn't ever address the claim that you made.

 

[HAMel]

The website of our local newspaper allows for individual comments on articles..., but you have to log on via facebook. It's all about tracking.

 

[just-want-peace]

...I closed up my facebook page.

How does one close a FB acct.?

I joined some 15-18 months ago, and within a week tried to "un-join", but never found that option.

I've gone back several times and checked, but nothing I can find will let me get totally divorced from FB. It's almost like OSAS - once you commit, you are committed.

Anyway, if there is a way, I'd love to know it.

 

[Ed B]

I have noticed the same google-bot behaviors. I have recently shopped for men's slacks at Land's End and various camera lenses on Amazon and a few other on-line retailers. Now when I go to any web-site with banner ads I see a stream of Land's End and Nikon or Sigma lens advertisements. It truly does follow me around but I am pretty sure that clearing cookies from my machine would fix that....if I was worried about it that is.

 

[Ed B]

I will add one point if concern.

I have seen Googlebot identified as a user on message board environments that are password protected. If Google is "tailgating" into environments that it has no right to enter - environments that are supposed to authenticate with a person's identify to grant access - then we MAY have some serious security breaches that go way beyond what people are arguing about on a message board.

I hope that Googlebot is only able to penetrate rather simple security gates such as predictable and weak user name/password combinations. If it is good at finding "backdoors" then I am worried about what other more sinister organizations will do with the same technology.