Sharing a computer can definitely lead to mixed-up web history and other tracking.
For example if Person A is logged into youtube and then Person B logs into gmail real quick to check their email. Is it possible that those two accounts might get linked even though they are seperate people?
Google says it's impossible to merge two separate Google accounts, so I suspect it's impossible to link them, too; they keep Google identities separate. As long as the Youtube account winds up being logged out when the Gmail account gets logged in, the correct history should be associated with the correct account. (I assume the logging out is automatic, since a browser can't be logged in to two accounts at the same time -- unless you have "switch accounts" turned on, but I think even then, the "front" or active account is what's being tracked, not the "background" account -- all of that is a total guess, though!).
Could that happen at the library?
I'm not sure what's going to happen at libraries and internet cafes; I know that several people have said that Google assumed that non-Gmail addies they used on some products must be the same person, and linked those products together as one account. So if you have several people in a library logging in to various Google products but not using Gmail addies to do so, it's possible that Google will just start associating those accounts together. (But again, I don't know for sure; I'm completely guessing, here.)
I'm also curious about how search history gets linked to an account. I guess I really DO NOT WANT my search history attached to my son's account (he is a minor) just because he happened to forget to log out of youtube one day and the website I am searching uses google search for their site search.
Erk, yeah. :( I don't think there's any way to stop it, under those circumstances; if there's a logged in account, and a google search bar is being used, then Google is going to know what's being searched for and is going to connect it to that account.
Maybe you could use separate browsers? Which seems ludicrously complicated, but might be the only way of making sure he's never logged in on the browser you use.
(Man, I can see that sort of cross-tracking being a nightmare in the other direction, too -- what if some 45-yo dad winds up with a search history of, say, teenage girls in bikinis, because his curious 14yo goes surfing through Google images for cute half-naked girls his own age? Gah!)
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2012-03-01 09:38 pm (UTC)For example if Person A is logged into youtube and then Person B logs into gmail real quick to check their email. Is it possible that those two accounts might get linked even though they are seperate people?
Google says it's impossible to merge two separate Google accounts, so I suspect it's impossible to link them, too; they keep Google identities separate. As long as the Youtube account winds up being logged out when the Gmail account gets logged in, the correct history should be associated with the correct account. (I assume the logging out is automatic, since a browser can't be logged in to two accounts at the same time -- unless you have "switch accounts" turned on, but I think even then, the "front" or active account is what's being tracked, not the "background" account -- all of that is a total guess, though!).
Could that happen at the library?
I'm not sure what's going to happen at libraries and internet cafes; I know that several people have said that Google assumed that non-Gmail addies they used on some products must be the same person, and linked those products together as one account. So if you have several people in a library logging in to various Google products but not using Gmail addies to do so, it's possible that Google will just start associating those accounts together. (But again, I don't know for sure; I'm completely guessing, here.)
I'm also curious about how search history gets linked to an account. I guess I really DO NOT WANT my search history attached to my son's account (he is a minor) just because he happened to forget to log out of youtube one day and the website I am searching uses google search for their site search.
Erk, yeah. :( I don't think there's any way to stop it, under those circumstances; if there's a logged in account, and a google search bar is being used, then Google is going to know what's being searched for and is going to connect it to that account.
Maybe you could use separate browsers? Which seems ludicrously complicated, but might be the only way of making sure he's never logged in on the browser you use.
(Man, I can see that sort of cross-tracking being a nightmare in the other direction, too -- what if some 45-yo dad winds up with a search history of, say, teenage girls in bikinis, because his curious 14yo goes surfing through Google images for cute half-naked girls his own age? Gah!)