Can the search engines tell who you are?

[aimhigh]

It is still difficult for search engines to exactly pinpoint your identity as a user, but by using various techniques they can learn a lot about you. Should you be worried about your privacy? Ixquick thinks so, and is no longer recording your IP address.

Can the search engines tell who you are?

[Darcey]

At the end of the day:

1. Every server logs your IP address auto in log files, FTP and HTTP
2. You can find out the ISP of this IP with a simple little tracert or other ip tools
3. The ISP can then be contacted at which point they can give out your name and address if you are a member of the authorities

4. Knock knock.


Search engines can do the following

Pattern matching recognition finding out who you are and all about you/
For a search engine to match your identity it would need to have:

1. Ability to recognise visited websites

2. Ability to keyword process data possibly entered into the tracked websites pages

3. Auto scan web results for matching keyword criteria (eg my member name on forum template is in a fixed pattern which can be easily picked up). Scan can then easily proceed to go into facebook etc (public open profiles) and anything else google lists for you. Allowing keyword and phrase matching on all data found for you giving discussions, likes and disslikes and presto a marketing campaign is dynamically created for you.

Key word and phrase matching could pick up:
Your friends (eg hi *, what*s hap* *, dear *, sup *)
Address (eg send it to *, location*, live* etc)
Telephone (eg tel*,mobi*,mob*)

4. Recursive scan
Then if it does find anyone you know it can do the same for them, extending it's portfolio on you and the new member of it's database.

[jabo]

they can tell who I am in some of the activities that I do in the internet. I tried typing in my name and it shows posts that I made in forums and articles that I have created

[tan]

If you have an account in various social sites or write a lot of information about yourself in internet it's normal that any of users can find info about you

[aimhigh]

I think this tool is really helpful.

[bermuda]

It is possible telling about the geographical locations of the internet surfers and users as well as which ISPs they are using plus points about their operating softwares and the web browsing systems they are using.

[riderbabygurl]

Search engine will definitely see and tell who you are through IP, cookies. But your full names? and some other personal things? like your married or something.. I think its not..

[candid]

They may be able to make out the general behavior of the users activities

[meanne2007]

Originally Posted by tan

If you have an account in various social sites or write a lot of information about yourself in internet it's normal that any of users can find info about you

you've got the point.

[KrazyG]

Interesting stuff there Darcey!