As you can see, once again the page contains the results for the current search, but the URL in the browser’s top bar includes both the the current search term and the previous search term.

Privacy Concerns

What this means is sharing links of our search results puts us at risk of inadvertently letting others know what we were previously searching for. Of course, the consequences of such privacy leaks will be minimal in many cases, as with the previous example where the only information leaked is that you might like an artist that is less-then-well-respected (and by extension might have bad taste in music).

But… certain privacy leaks could be quite dangerous.

For example, what if you were just searching for information on a medication you’re taking, and you share a link to another search with your friend or co-worker? You could accidentally indicate to them that you have a certain illness associated with the drug.

Alternatively, what if you were searching for how to write a good resume, then looked up something work related and shared the link with your boss? Your boss could think you’re considering finding a new job, and if he’s quick-tempered you could run the risk of being preemptively fired.

And I’m sure you can imagine a scenario that involves a porn search and a very embarrassing or frightening moment.

As you can see, the leaks range from the totally harmless to the mildly embarrassing to the potentially threatening to your current job or relationship.

Because of this, I find this move on Google’s part to be not only surprising but also frightening. It seems like a massive oversight on their part and needs to be corrected.

To protect yourself from this privacy leak, here’s what you can do:

Tread more carefully when sharing search result links. Inspect the URL to make sure that the previous search is not included. Put pressure on Google to fix the privacy leak and ensure that “previous searches” don’t make their way into URLs for current searches. Consider switching to a more privacy-conscious search engine like DuckDuckGo.

Our privacy is important. Sometimes it feels like we’re fighting a tough battle and there are privacy perils everywhere we turn, but there is hope and there are simple, convenient changes we can make today. Baby steps.