Is Google monitoring my keystrokes?

[Neverna]

Is Google monitoring my keystrokes?

I just had an odd experience. I was typing something in Thai then I did a Google search for something completely different but I forgot to change my keyboard language back to English. I ended up with a bunch of Thai gobbledygook in the Google search box. Despite that, Google gave me the results as if I had typed exactly what I wanted in English.

I was very surprised so I did the same again with other words, and when that ended up the same, I used a different language. Guess what? Yep, it gave me the English results for the gobbledygook every time.

So, Google knows what I type even if I type gobbledygook in a foreign language. ٍSo are they monitoring my keystrokes in English or are they just guessing that I didn't really mean to type crap so it must be something else?

For reference this is what I typed:

กรดดำพำืแำ ิำะไำำื แนฟะำก ฟืก ยสฟะำก (no meaning in Thai)

ดรห้ ฟืก แ้รยห (no meaning in Thai)

ยสฟหะรแ ินะะสำห (no meaning in Thai)

سشهمهىل لاخشف (no meaning in Arabic)


What do you think I typed in English?

[UrbanMan]

Google is very secretive about exactly how their engine works, but the bottom line is if you go to their site, they gather as much about you as possible. And it feeds the engine.

In addition to your words, I believe they also look at your browsing history (unless you have it clamped down perfectly), so you might gain a slight bit of privacy if you make a point of regularly clearing said browsing data.

When I have an upcoming trip, and I of course use the internet to research/book most or all of it, there is always in short order a stream of banners ads relating to where I am going. Possible hotels, attractions, etc. Though I do think that's my browser, not google. The point is, there is much observing going on, and there's only going to be more of it.

[Neverna]

Can you try a test for me? Change your typing language (to anything you want - Hindi, Russian, whatever) then type into Google a random English word or two words or even a question (using the foreign font) and see what you get.

[UrbanMan]

I changed my language to, espanol(latinoamerica). I then typed in a search using english words. The results were all english language sites, and the answers all in english.

[Neverna]

Thanks. Are Google being clever or being sneaky?

[Neverna]

I have just tried the same experiment with Bing.


The result is what I would expect from typing nonsense.

[Neverna]

Next is Yahoo search.

Result ... the same as Google.


Top = Yahoo, bottom = Google

[Troy]

If you are using google .uk or .com woould it not be using the latin-1 character set? Have you tried google.th with the thai character set etc?

[taxexile]

the first three thai letters and the tone mark you typed, ดรห้, correspond to FISH on a roman keyboard, hence google bringing up FISH ( and chips).

so you can take off your tin foil headwear and relax.

transliterate some more of your thai input into the roman alphabet, and the google results might make some sense.

[wasabi]

Our Belgian friend will be along shortly and he will explain it all for you.

[Neverna]

If you are using google .uk or .com woould it not be using the latin-1 character set? Have you tried google.th with the thai character set etc?

I just tried it. It still came up with fish and chip results but also included some Thai sites discussing fish and chips.

[Neverna]

the first three thai letters and the tone mark you typed, ดรห้, correspond to FISH on a roman keyboard,

Yes, I know that.

hence google bringing up FISH ( and chips).

But why? That's the question.

transliterate some more of your thai input into the roman alphabet, and the google results might make some sense.

I haven't transliterated anything yet, tax.

[DrB0b]

the first three thai letters and the tone mark you typed, ดรห้, correspond to FISH on a roman keyboard,

Yes, I know that.

hence google bringing up FISH ( and chips).

But why? That's the question.

transliterate some more of your thai input into the roman alphabet, and the google results might make some sense.

I haven't transliterated anything yet, tax.

Google transliterated, not you. Actually not transliterated, re-mapped the thai keyboard characters back to the English keyboard map. Also, have you got geolocation turned on or off? Looks like Google thinks you're in Melbourne, not Thailand.

[BaitongBoy]

Some "thugs" just brought fish and chips to my door...Mumbled something about a Buffalo Board...Didn't order anything...Just Googled Happy Zone and Fish...

Seriously, my phone is the problem...It calls people randomly and will LINE people messages that differ from the ones I type.....Then sends little bears saying "I love you" or rabbits farting or "flipping the bird"...But, I digress...

Agree, we need Butters and Harry here to figure things out...Could be as popular as the punter thread...

Most people get serious about stuff like this when their money is "at risk"...

The more money at risk, the more "paranoid" the "user"...Maybe...

And now that "they" know we frequent TeakDoor, we're all doomed, the ladies included...

Smooci.com, ya know...

[Neverna]

Google transliterated, not you. Actually not transliterated, re-mapped the thai keyboard characters back to the English keyboard map.

Yes, either that or they're monitoring my keyboard.

Also, have you got geolocation turned on or off? Looks like Google thinks you're in Melbourne, not Thailand.

Turned off.

[DrB0b]

Google transliterated, not you. Actually not transliterated, re-mapped the thai keyboard characters back to the English keyboard map.

Yes, either that or they're monitoring my keyboard.

Also, have you got geolocation turned on or off? Looks like Google thinks you're in Melbourne, not Thailand.

Turned off.

Google have just called to say they're not monitoring your keyboard. Not the keyboard...

[CaptainNemo]

Yes I've had this, on a open access computer, on a ship, where it would sometimes deliver results in Norwegian or in Dutch, when we were nowhere near either, but some equipment may have been routed through those places, and there may have been recent people on board from those places searching stuff that got stored in the cache of one or more magic network management boxes.

Assuming you're not logged into your Gmail or other such account within the family, there will be some caching going on, that will prompt google to guess where you are and what you are, because it's default is to advertise something to someone from somewhere. Google software has got much better at filling in blanks and mistakes to guess things about the user. Google uses wifi ids to suss out where you are, and probably retains some metadata for a while. The language settings on your OS could also have an influence, never mind google translate autocorrection on search. I tried this in Amharic "ሰናፊ ሰናፊልም" and got nothing, as I should.
So much depends on the specifics of how you are connecting to the internet.

Try googling for things like Hummingbird and Rankbrain to learn more...

[thaimeme]

Google is the devil.

[Jesus Jones]

Sounds like a tin-foil hatter thread to me!

Invade your privacy? This ain't fechin' korea!

[DrB0b]

Sounds like a tin-foil hatter thread to me!

Invade your privacy? This ain't fechin' korea!

[dirk diggler]

When I play a song on youtube in my bar and someone has left the keyboard in thai i just carry on anyway as it comes back with what i want.

This doesn't terrify me, it pleases me.

Searching in english, thai and arabic simultaneously probably means you have more than just google spying on you.

[harrybarracuda]

Google knows what everyone is doing.

That's how it knows there is a five minute delay on a particular stretch of road.

[Troy]

I'd guess you need to change your browser settings to use unicode. It is probably set to utf-8 or latin-1

[BaitongBoy]

"This is the way the world ends
Not with a bang but a whimper"...

[Luigi]

They tried to do your webcam too, but couldn't get around the CIA spyware on it.