Rumblings About Google Registrar Info

[AussieWebmaster]

I posted this on my blog but don't want to drop links so am copying it here for others to comment on.

In my wandering around the millions of websites that make up this landscape we work in, I have read all sorts of conjecture on the Google domain registration impact - but the one that seems the most interesting is that they will use the information they get access to to filter sites by registrants' names and addresses.
Guess the filtering for C Blocks will be a minor distraction when they start filtering by the name of the person registering the domain - will it be okay to have a vriety of sites on different topics or will it come down to one domain per name gets in? Will registering domains in relatives names become the new cloaking?
And then address - what happens to buildings in cities like NY where there could be 100 companies all doing the same thing - hell the finance district may as well start looking for different places to set up offices.
I don't know how it could work - but am sure at some level there will be a filtering.

[Nacho]

Could Google go crazy on this? It could, but G usually applies massive filters when it has identified a true solution that will will do more good than harm.

Just speculating here, but perhaps it could use domain registrations to match with web graphs that may appear as spam. Then put 2 and 2 together . . . and . . . BAM!

Ouch!

[Chris_D]

..... and more collateral damage.......

[Robert_Charlton]

...the Google domain registration impact...

I anticipate mass migrations from GoDaddy to Google registration, giving Google access to all sorts of heretofore inaccessible and incriminating data. ;)

How is Google acting as a registrar going to change anything? Are we suggesting that Google will filter only the mom and pop sites that register with them, with their vast linking networks, while ignoring the usual suspects???

[I, Brian]

With or without querying for registration info, forcing individuals to place their personal contact details online has never been a great idea from a privacy point of view. Especially for those of us who run websites that sometimes fall foul of far-right and extremist groups.

I try to remember to opt-out of the WHOIS public register whenever buying new domain names, excepting in the explicit instance of them being domains for doing business with.

Curious - as search results are a commercial application, would Google have permission to auto-query the WHOIS database simply for filtering purposes?

[JohnW]

>seems the most interesting is that they will use the information they get access to to filter sites by registrants' names and addresses.

How does becoming a registrar give them any more ability to do this than they already have?

[Michael Martinez]

These alarmist points of view are the ones least likely to be closest to the truth. If Google studies that database in detail, they will undoubtedly find some interesting things, but they will first have to do some statistical analysis.

And I think one of the things they will find is that certain people are way ahead of them. I already know of one company that acts as a domain proxy registrant. I am sure there are or will be others.

The wolves have taken refuge among the sheep again.