Have you ever asked yourself, what’s the purpose of Google’s long living cookie?

Well, others did . I’m not quite as paranoid as some of them, but judging by recent experience it’s definitely used for more than just preferences. I was helping my wife and was looking for term “conventions and scope” , when I’ve noticed that I get completely different answers than she does.

I don’t know about you, but my results are obviously aimed at programmers unlike those of my wife. Google therefore clearly uses their cookie to learn from stuff I searched for about stuff I might in future.

I have no problem with this provided my profile is anonymous. My problem with Google was different. How do I get rid of its bias that normally works in my favor, but every now and then doesn’t?

I know I can turn cookie support off in my browser and that would solve my problem. However, I’m doubtful that many users know this. Should web application offer a way to turn off such bias and if yes, how? Should they reveal it in the first place?

I think they should, but I understand it can be difficult to do so without looking intrusive. That’s why they usually bury it in documents that nobody reads, like terms of use or privacy statements.