Facebook Privacy Undermined: Google Now Sees Your Embarrassing Comments
What's your most embarrassing Facebook comment ever? No, don't tell me, I'll just look it up on Google because the search engine is now displaying comments for the first time.
That's right, your every ROFL, LOL, or "God I can't believe I drank that much" is available for the whole world's reading pleasure, thanks to a change to the way Google looks at Javascript.
Previously Facebook comments weren't visible to Google's search bots, because they were tied to JavaScript. Now Google has begun trawling JavaScript for search results.
The new system will trawl comments left on Facebook comments add-ons used by sites outside Facebook, such as Facebook plug-in for Wordpress.
Results are not limited to Facebook comments, Google is trawling Disqus, Intense Debate and other add-on comment systems found in blogs.
Unlike? If you've been leaving trollish comments, or you value your privacy you should. Your online profile just got a little more complicated, because this does away with privacy settings you had in place on Facebook, sharing comments for your approved friends with the whole web.
Now when a friend, or future employer, searches for your name, your comments will turn up too.
The move ties in to Google's efforts for more authenticity and transparency in online identity. Just as Googleplus forces users to identify themselves with their proper names, this new search method may encourage users to be more accountable for their comments.
Who's going to "Like" this development? Businesses like the media, and private bloggers, who value high google rankings. For instance, leave a nice comment saying "This article on internet privacy by Melanie Hick on the Hufffington Post is great! Check my web privacy blog at bloggymcblog.com" and your comment will come up in searches for the terms "internet privacy", the author's name and searches for your blog title.
Comments won't suddenly appear at the top of search results today, but will gradually make their way up the Google rankings when they match specific searches.
Check out the most embarrassing Facebook comments ever, below. We're pretty sure these guys won't be fans of the changes.
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First Posted: 02/11/11 11:48 GMT Updated: 02/11/11 16:04 GMT