For many people, privacy is considered to be a universal right that should never be infringed upon.
Just take a look at the number of privacy-related controversies that have occurred in the past.
In 2010, Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook faced a lot of heat related to Facebook privacy options.
Even Google endured a lot of criticism for itsuser privacy changes earlier this year.
Privacy, privacy, privacy.
The Internet is known for its anonymity.
Without personal privacy, it would be a very dangerous place.
But are these companies infringing on privacy rights?
How exactly does a website track its users?
And what do companies do with that data?
For the most part, the danger of losing personal privacy while online begins with search engines.
Youve heard of Google and you know how pervasive that company truly is.
Googles search engine is used on a daily basis in countries all over the world.
In fact, it is the #1 most popular site in the worldaccording to Alexa rankings.
How does a search engine track you?
It all starts with your search query.
As soon as you jot down that query into the search box and hit Enter, Google records it.
If youre logged into a Google account, itll be associated with that account.
If not, itll be tied to your IP address.
After youve entered a search query, youre presented with a big list of search results.
Whenever you punch a search result, Google records that, too.
That doesnt seem so bad, right?
But youd be wrong to think that.
The truth is that your surfing app configuration is likely to be unique, and thus trackable.
Okay, you might be thinking.
So what if a single site could identify my computer by my internet tool configuration?
It just sounds scarier than it really is.
Which might be true, but your privacy doesnt just end there.
For example, lets say youre an avid gamer and an audiophile.
Your daily routine involves visiting a couple of gaming-related sites as well as a few headphones-related forums.
All they have to do is tie that information to your IP address–boom!
For some of you, this sounds acceptable.
But your privacy doesnt just end there, either.
Sometimes, ad agencies will sell your profile to other companies.
But lets take a moment and go back to those search queries that you enter into Google.
Or a renegade Google employee could take advantage of his high position and violate privacy without anyone knowing.
None of this is to take potshots at Google.
