Forbes is reporting that Yahoo is trying to form a coalition between the major web search engines (Google, Yahoo, AOL, Microsoft) to work together to counter Chinese censorship on the web. And this Financial Times article notes that Yahoo! is…
Category: Platforms
Open Letter to the Washington Square News
Gothamist recently reported that Columbia University's student newspaper, the Columbia Spectator, was adding blogs to their online offerings. This prompted me of consider some problems with how NYU's student-run paper, the Washington Square News, is experimenting with reader interactivity. Over…
Google on the Cover of Time Magazine
The latest issue of Time magazine features a cover story on Google, and asks "Can we trust Google with our secrets?" Touted as an "inside look" at how success has changed Larry and Sergey's dream machine, the piece offers some…
Yahoo Grapples With Online Rights
Not to be left out of the concern over the role search engines play in people's online rights, this New York Times article points out the growing conflicts Yahoo is experiencing regarding the rights of their users, including censoring search…
Yes, Google Desktop Does Put Privacy in Jeopardy
Rob Sullivan at Search Engine Journal questions whether the new "search across computers" feature of Google's Desktop software really puts users' privacy in jeopardy. Yes, it does. To respond to some of Rob's observations: So what if you have to…
Does Targeted Marketing (with Personal Data) Work?
One of the key arguements for collecting personal search histories is that a "perfect search engine" will use this personal information to deliver more relevant advertisements. The supposition is that the search engines benefit from selling a more detailed profile…
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Google Desktop 3.0 Copies Your Hard Drive
Google released a new version of their Desktop software, which includes a feature allowing users to search their files across computers. The service is not activated by default, and (savvy) users can opt to block certain files from being accessible…
Federal Government Considered Web-surveillance Project
ComputerWord reports that the government was approached by the data-aggregation firm Acxiom to conduct widespread surveillance of web sites discussing topics such as “abortion, racial superiority, politics, religion, immigration, and foreign affairs,” using technology designed to extract business contact information…
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Web Searching: Interdisciplinary Perspectives
I'm co-editing a book on web search engines with Amanda Spink (Professor of Information Technology, Queensland University of Technology): CALL FOR PAPERS Web Searching: Interdisciplinary Perspectives Digital Formations Series. Peter Lang Publishing. Editors: Amanda Spink, Professor of Information Technology, Queensland…
Google Chat History
Google has integrated their chat service (Google Talk) with Gmail, enabling users to view their chat histories from the Gmail interface. This, of course, dispels any question over whether Google archives one's chat history, and opens the door to the…
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