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At the user’s request, the software tool stores search queries and the history of visited Internet pages, which are then available for finding again more quickly. If the user does not want certain confidential search queries to be stored, he can edit the corresponding terms and delete the pages. It should also be possible to switch off the service at any time.
“Web History is part of our broad initiative for personalized search for users who want better search results and more control”, said Sep Kamvar, lead developer in the field of personalization. On the basis of search histories, Google wants in the future to be able to deliver more targeted results more closely tailored to user interests. For example, for the search term «GM», depending on interest, results could be offered for car manufacturer General Motors or for genetically modified food.
To be able to use the service, a separate Google account must be registered and the PageRank function in the Google toolbar activated. Since the data are stored on Google’s servers, they can be used from any computer. In English, the service had already launched in April under the name Search History.
