Huh? I've worked at multiple companies that all do very broad device monitoring (it's fairly standard at all large companies) and I don't think I've ever heard anyone express any concern like this. I've certainly never felt this way myself. What "promising research paths" are you talking about? Do your google searches at work frequently involve porn or something?
I get big scary corporate “You’re not allowed to go there!” and get the feeling that there’s now somehow some black marks on my invisible permanent record, because I wanted to read something about Zig or something.
I know I’m not going to be fired for something like that. What I don’t know is if some higher up just looks at some roll-up without digging or understanding, the kind of scenario that could come up in something like, for example, layoffs.
Definitely has a chilling effect for me personally.
If I want to look up example of string operations in C I might Google "c strings" or "c strings examples". Incidentally, in similar fashion to G-strings, a C-string is a type of lingerie.
If I'm doing quick graphics adjustments I don't want to bother the art department with I might use the fantastic GNU Image Manipulation Program and do a search for "gimp tricks" or "gimp tutorials". Incidentally, as anyone who's seen "Pulp Fiction" might know, a gimp is a type of BDSM gear. Definitely not savory for work.
This is why, much as I'm concerned about personalized searches, it's kind of non-negotiable for me that to function as a professional software engineer I should be logged-in to my Google account. It's the only way I can be sure not to get results from, say, Victoria's Secret.