How Much Do You Try To Hide From Google?

15 replies
Hey WF -

I'm working on a new site and I got to thinking...I have about 10 sites set up in the same Google Analytics account, each with their own profile. This is an old account - the G account I created back when I first started in IM.

The Adwords account that was used with this account was permanently suspended back in 2008.

Of the 10 profiles I have set up in this account, 2 are for old customers - my first moonlighting customers. 1 of them is my company website (I run a small marketing firm). 1 Is for my blog - its an old blog, unmonetized - just a pure "I love to write about this stuff" blog. The rest are niche blogs/sites.

So my question to you all...

With the new site, would you create a new Google account for the analytics?

And the bigger question: Do you try to hide your various websites from Google, with multiple hosts, registrars, etc?

Interested to hear from you all!
#google #hide
  • Profile picture of the author DoriFriend2
    Money sites I don't hide, buffer and blog network sites get hidden. :-)
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  • Profile picture of the author davejug1
    I have to hide a fair bit from them, I got on their wrong side a few months ago. Wouldn't be surprised if they took offence and killed all my accounts
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  • Profile picture of the author Bredfan
    Do you all think that they go as far as to look at the IP's of the person logging in to various accounts and make an association between them?

    Like when I move from G account to account, log out of one and into another. You think they're watching this? If so, can they get to the individual IP address level and make an association between accounts?

    If so...anyone use a VPN to do this work? Which one?
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    • Profile picture of the author rooze
      Originally Posted by Bredfan View Post

      Do you all think that they go as far as to look at the IP's of the person logging in to various accounts and make an association between them?

      Like when I move from G account to account, log out of one and into another. You think they're watching this? If so, can they get to the individual IP address level and make an association between accounts?

      If so...anyone use a VPN to do this work? Which one?
      The technology to do that is quite simple, Facebook and Paypal use it so why not google? They may not take action on the data but they're notorious for collecting whatever they can get their hands on. Remember they were prosecuted in Europe for driving down the street in their Google camera vans and sucking data out of people's wireless internet connections, LOL!
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      • Profile picture of the author davejug1
        Originally Posted by rooze View Post

        The technology to do that is quite simple, Facebook and Paypal use it so why not google? They may not take action on the data but they're notorious for collecting whatever they can get their hands on. Remember they were prosecuted in Europe for driving down the street in their Google camera vans and sucking data out of people's wireless internet connections, LOL!
        True enough!
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  • Profile picture of the author davejug1
    I don't think they have the manpower to go after anyone but the ones most commercially dangerous.
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  • Profile picture of the author Bredfan
    So I think we agree that even if G is not watching, they certainly CAN watch if they want. With our livelihoods dependent in part of search engine traffic, it begs the question:

    What steps do you all take to hide?

    I think I am going to start connecting a VPN before logging in, and then go about creating separate accounts for every site...
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    • Profile picture of the author rooze
      Originally Posted by Bredfan View Post

      So I think we agree that even if G is not watching, they certainly CAN watch if they want. With our livelihoods dependent in part of search engine traffic, it begs the question:

      What steps do you all take to hide?

      I think I am going to start connecting a VPN before logging in, and then go about creating separate accounts for every site...
      Not quite....I think what we're saying is they ARE watching, just maybe not acting on EVERYTHING they record, yet.

      VPN's are ok as long as you remember to switch the IP each time you login to your account(s), otherwise you're creating another 'trigger' which can get your account closed or locked pretty quickly.
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  • Profile picture of the author davejug1
    Well if you want to take it to the extreme, they could view your analytics, gmail, adsense/adwords, hell if you use chrome they could follow you around the internet
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    • Profile picture of the author spearce000
      Originally Posted by davejug1 View Post

      if you use chrome they could follow you around the internet
      They probably do already. There has to be something in it for them, otherwise why would they give it away for free? I always tick the box in Firefox to tell sites I don't want to be tracked, as well.
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  • Profile picture of the author Dan C. Rinnert
    Originally Posted by Bredfan View Post

    With the new site, would you create a new Google account for the analytics?
    I would not use Google Analytics AT ALL. Use Piwik instead.
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  • Profile picture of the author Bredfan
    I think what we're saying is... there's nothing we can really do. Except take reasonable precautions and try not to violate any G AUP...
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    • Profile picture of the author Dan C. Rinnert
      Originally Posted by Bredfan View Post

      I think what we're saying is... there's nothing we can really do. Except take reasonable precautions and try not to violate any G AUP...
      And if you allegedly violate their AUP, they will not tell you what you violated, so there's no way of knowing IF you actually violated their AUP.
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  • Profile picture of the author davejug1
    I would say diversify. Don't rely on only one entity for all your income.
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