Ohye: Hi, my name is Maile Ohye.
I'm a senior support engineer at Google.
At Google, we work hard to make sure that
when you use our search engine
you find what you're looking for.
To improve our search results
as well as maintain security and prevent fraud,
we'll remember some basic information about searches.
Without this information,
our search engine wouldn't work as well as it does
or be as secure.
So what information does Google collect?
Let's find out, starting with a simple search.
So you type in a word. Say, cars.
That search for "cars" is sent over the Internet,
routed to Google's servers, where we look for results,
and then send those results back over the Internet
to your computer.
"Cars" is called a search query.
Search queries are one kind of data we collect,
and we collect them so we can analyze search patterns,
and ultimately give you better search results.
For example, if you've ever mistyped a search term,
you've probably noticed
that Google offers an alternative spelling.
So if you add an extra "S" at the end of "cars,"
Google will ask, "did you mean: cars."
We're able to do that
because we've studied search queries in our logs
and found that when people type in "C-A-R-S-S,"
they often really mean "C-A-R-S."
A second piece of information we collect
is your computer's address--
what's technically called an IP address.
An IP address is a bit like your phone number on the Internet,
and it looks something like this.
When you send a search request to Google,
it uses your IP address to ensure that the search results
are returned to the right computer.
But an IP address doesn't say
who you are or exactly where you are.
In fact, some providers give you a different IP address
every time you surf the Web.
At best, all Google can tell about you from your IP address
is your general location-- say Denver--
and maybe which provider you use to connect to the Internet.
Only your provider can directly match you with your IP address.
This makes sense because much like a telephone company,
they're the ones you have an account with.
and they're also the ones who gave you the IP address.
Now let's talk about cookies,
a third piece of information Google collects.
A cookie is a very small file,
which gets stored on your computer.
All search engines and most Web sites use cookies.
Why?
Cookies remind us of your preferences
from the last time you visited,
such as the fact that you want search results in English,
and no more than 10 results per page.
What a cookie doesn't tell Google
is personal stuff about you
like where you live or what your phone number is.
In fact, a cookie doesn't even tell Google
whether it's actually you visiting Google or someone else,
say your roommate, spouse, or kids,
who's using the same computer.
So that's what we collect.
The thing you search for,
your computer's IP address, and the cookie.
Then what?
Well, in the same way that a store
keeps a receipt of your purchases,
Google keeps a type of receipt of your visit called a log.
Here's what a typical log of your visit looks like.
Here's the term you searched for. "Cars."
Here's the IP address, which, as we discussed earlier,
is like your Internet phone number.
Here's the cookie I.D., which identifies your computer
and tells us your preferences.
Here's the browser version and the operating system.
And last, here's the date and time of your search.
As you can see, logs don't contain
any truly personal information about you.
And to further protect your privacy,
Google will soon cut off portions of the IP addresses
and cookie numbers that have been
in our logs for more than 18 months.
It's similar to how credit card receipts
replace portions of your card number with hash marks,
to add an extra layer of privacy protection.
Here's what an IP address will look like
in our files after 18 months.
And here's what a cookie will look like.
Google is the first major search engine to do this.
So I hope this gives you a better idea
of the information Google collects
when you use our search engine,
and how this improves your overall search experience.
To learn more, visit our Privacy Center
at google.com/privacy.html.
Thanks for watching, and thanks for searching on Google.