online search

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This Is What People Looked Up Online in 2023

Our collective Google search history is here

(Newser) - Your Google search history for 2023 has arrived. Well, actually, the world's. On Monday, the California-based tech giant released its "Year in Search," a roundup of 2023's top global queries, ranging from unforgettable pop culture moments (hello, Barbenheimer) to the loss of beloved figures and tragic...

Search Term 'Free' Leads to More Online Viruses

(Newser) - A McAfee study finds that searching for free stuff online—particularly entertainment-related content—dramatically increases your odds of landing on a site littered with malware. By inserting the search term "free" when looking for music ringtones, the study reports a 300% increases in the chances of hitting a malicious...

Google Rolls Out 'Starred' Search Results

New tool will prioritize users' favorite sites

(Newser) - Over the next few days, Google will be rolling out a feature that will allow you to tell it what sites you like. Just star a result, and in the future, when you’re searching for something relevant to that site, it’ll pop up at the top in a...

'Google Suggests' Feature Can Make You Blush
 'Google Suggests' Feature 
 Can Make You Blush 
hey, that's incest!
Feb 22, 2010 5:46 PM CST

'Google Suggests' Feature Can Make You Blush

'How Do I Get My Sister to Sleep With Me,' and other weird searches

(Newser) - Start typing a question into a Google search box, and the site tries to guess what you're going to ask by drawing on your history, its index and ads, and searches by other users—a fair number of whom apparently are thinking way, way outside the norm. Start with "...

One Non-Profit Should Index the Internet
One Non-Profit Should
Index the Internet
OPINION
Nov 25, 2009 3:25 PM CST

One Non-Profit Should Index the Internet

It would make things faster for everyone

(Newser) - The Internet would be faster for everyone if a single, non-profit entity maintained a search index, writes Tom Foremski. Privately owned search engines use enormous resources to build their proprietary indexes, and sites use tons of bandwidth to answer their queries. On Foremski's Silicon Valley Watcher , for example, search robots/spiders...

Mistrials Rise as Phone-Wielding Jurors Hit Web

Google searches, Twitter posts force end to cases

(Newser) - When a juror admitted last week that he had done online research during a major Florida drugs case, the judge thought he could dismiss the juror and continue. But he had to declare a mistrial when he questioned the jury—and found eight other jurors had been doing the same...

Yahoo, Google Rejigger Ad Partnership to Stick to Rules

Deal scaled back in effort to appease anti-trust regulators

(Newser) - Yahoo and Google have scaled back their ad partnership in a bid to satisfy regulators concerned that the deal will run afoul of anti-monopoly rules, insiders tell the Wall Street Journal. The new deal caps the amount of revenue Yahoo can earn from the deal at 25%, and slashes the...

Google, Yahoo May Ditch Talks on Ad Alliance

Unwilling to compromise, the Web giants may dissolve negotiations

(Newser) - Google and Yahoo's potential partnership is on the rocks. The two sides are still searching for a middle ground on an advertising deal, but both sides could walk away from the talks as early as next week, the Wall Street Journal reports. The main stumbling block is a consent decree,...

Ex-Google Employees Launch Search Rival

Founders say Cuil—that's 'cool'—provides better results than industry leader

(Newser) - Google might want to watch its back—a husband-and-wife team that helped build some of its most important code are getting the search game, the New York Times reports. Anna Patterson and Tom Costello think Cuil—pronounced “cool”—will rival the industry leader. “I think it will...

Search Feature Riles Retailers
 Search Feature Riles Retailers 
Mar 24, 2008 1:31 PM CDT

Search Feature Riles Retailers

New search-within-search feature serves users well, but merchants are steamed

(Newser) - Google has some other companies up in arms with a new feature that keeps the search engine front and center even when results are coming from a merchant’s website, the New York Times reports. Google’s new search-within-search feature brings up a search box that keeps the user with...

Talk About 'Blue Monday'
Talk About 'Blue Monday'
Jan 21, 2008 12:25 PM CST

Talk About 'Blue Monday'

Tracking Google searches shows low point before, not after, holidays

(Newser) - Unless you're a Giants fan, it's likely you woke up this morning feeling a bit more than the usual Monday blahs. The third Monday in January is the most depressing day of the year, says a Cardiff University researcher. He bases his annual predictions on weather, holiday debt, and broken...

Search Engines Improve Privacy Policies

Sites, government still have some work to do, study finds

(Newser) - Search engines are beginning to take user privacy more seriously, but stronger federal privacy legislation is still necessary, a new study says. In the online marketplace, privacy policies have become competitive factors, with sites one-upping each other to make surfers feel that they're safe and have control over their personal...

New Search Engine Seeks Out... You
New Search Engine Seeks Out... You
Aug 8, 2007 9:15 PM CDT

New Search Engine Seeks Out... You

Spock.com lets web users browse for other humans

(Newser) - A new search engine launched today won't help you find a bargain on a new microwave or the capital of Burma, but rather other human beings. Spock.com bills itself as "the online leader in personal search," and boasts over 100 million individuals already indexed. Spock combs social...

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