wonderwheelhuh

I sent ErrantX the list of names via email and he has independently confirmed the results.

Looks like it's definitely not a personalized result.

If I understand what you're saying then despite the decent amount of info about each of us online (I'm a technical author, my girlfriend is a well-known blogger, and my ex does freelance writing for numerous periodicals), the relatively low-volume and infrequent queries that some people are making and that produce no search results are allowing Google to establish the connection?

Yes, the title on this post was a bit facetious, I don't think Google is actually cataloging my girlfriends, but I still don't buy your explanation. There is so much more info out there on each of us, and so many easier and better connections to make, that I am left to suspect that Google is not using the method you described to connect us because it is weaker than other possible connections.

Worse, even if I did accept infrequent GET requests to a search engine as an explanation for Google's connecting the names on the Wonder Wheel, I don't take it as a justification of that act. If a search engine is okay with drawing and publishing connections from just a few searches made, than wow is that a loop hole for fairly private information (especially about lesser-known people) to get out.

Ah, interesting possibility, but I don't think it could have been I who catalyzed it.

My concern first arose when I searched for my girlfriend and surprisingly spotted my ex as a spoke. The only other search I had done was for myself.

> Were you logged in at the time? That seems more likely.

I am not.

> Did the name pull up actual results on your ex?

It does not.

> Is there a more reasonable explanation (i.e. could it be someone else your GF is interested in).

Of course some other connection between my girlfriend and ex may be possible, but none exist or are record online to the best of my knowledge. The problem with this answer is that all of us have considerably more readily associated information, and even if there is a rare case of indirect connection, it seems unreasonable that Google would weight it so greatly so as to make it one of the 8 Wonder Wheel connections.

Unfortunately not - I am not logged in when I make the query.

Some more info:

1) When I do the search described, I do it without being logged into any Google account.

2) To the absolute best of my knowledge, no email correspondences to my ex or about my ex have ever come out of my GMail account or my girlfriends.

I would consider email tracking more sinister for sure, so in some ways I'm glad it's not that.

That said, it's definitely not the volume of searches people are doing on anyone's names that have created the association (we all have a fair amount of individual web presence). So again, my only hunch is that Google has taken note that my girlfriend while logged in has searched for my ex (I have this confirmed) and that my ex likewise may have done the same.

If that is the case, I definitely 'feel' privacy violation going on since they're not using queries on aggregate to craft results, but instead are considering low-volume queries between users as a sign of association.

I just did a search and found that my ex does now use GMail.

I also searched through the contacts and conversations for both my GMail account and my girlfriend's (she consented, of course) - result: in neither did my ex show up.

Ha, would that also imply Google even-more-secretly spying on them?

Yes, my girlfriend and I use GMail.

I am unaware of whether my ex uses GMail or not. We were in school when we met and had uni email addresses.

I'd prefer not to have to share their names, but honestly, if it means bringing a privacy violation to our attention, I will.

But yeah, for now, please see if you can come up with any other explanations.