David Ansermot Web Developer / TYPO3 Integrator

New complaint against Google

A new lawsuit has just fallen on Google. It comes this time a user calls into question one of the key principles of the web, that of "referral links".

These links allow content creators to know which sites and which keywords generate their traffic. They are one of the most addressed by web developers and webmasters to optimize their content and optimize their ranking.

Yet according Paloma Gaos, the user behind this complaint, Google's practice of sending the search terms to third party sites is totally illegal under U.S. federal law.

It would even, according to the complainant, in contradiction with the conditions of service of search engine giant.

Many webmasters personalize content presented to users based research received, for example displaying the results thereof.

The "trackbacks" (trackbacks) have even become a means of communication in its own right within the blogosphere.

But this is not the opinion of Paloma Gaos, which finds that this practice provides businesses a much too important and sensitive personal information.

Once collected and crossed with the IP addresses (or other information), they would, he said, to draw accurate portraits of visitors.

The complaint goes even further. The document states that the prosecution will be extended to anyone who has done some research on Google and clicked on a result since October 25, 2006, in other words ... billions of users.

Google has not yet responded to the lawsuit.

U.S. courts do they qualify this claim of wacky? Or do they deem acceptable?

Nobody knows.

But it is clear that if this practice were to be prohibited, what is, let's face it, very unlikely, web marketing would take quite a blow.

And Google too?

Source : Complaint text