Google announced late last week that it has launched a beta version of personalised search. The service, which requires a Google account, works by serving results based upon both the search query entered by a user and their previously searched terms.
By analysing a user's search history, the search engine attempts to determine more relevant results, especially when dealing with words with ambiguous meaning such as 'bat' or 'bank'. Not only does this deliver a better user experience, it allows Google to display more relevant ads.
Although this service has the potential to improve a users experience, it raises privacy concerns as Google will now be monitor a user's search history. In an attempt to allay these fears, Google offers functionality allowing the user to exclude a page, site or any search result from their search history.
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