Google Open-Sources Tracking Technology

Chances are that you probably use Google to search for stuff all the time, but have you ever cast your eyes to the address bar and wondered what those parts of the URL actually mean? Well Google has just open-sourced a promotional tracking technology – the 'rlz' library.

If you search Google via a search box incorporated into a browser or via the Google Toolbar then you may well see a code like rlz=1T4ADBRcenUS236US239 in your address bar. Handily Google has actually broken down this information so we can see what data is being scooped into the URL:

rlz encoding:

This number will increase as the encoding scheme is changed. It is currently set to 1 (as of September 2007).

Application:

This shows where the request was performed – “B” is Firefox Toolbar, “T” is the IE toolbar, “U” is Google pack, etc. A full list can be found in the source code

Brand code:

This is the “distribution channel”. Basically means the method of how the user received the software i.e. They downloaded it / came pre-installed / etc.

Cannibal:

This slightly fearsome sounding section relates to if the rlz library has evidence that the user was actually already a  user before installing the software.

Language:

Simply the language code for the specific application.

Install cohort:

This shows the country and week of the user installing the software. The users IP is used to decide the country and the week is calculated as the number of weeks since February 3^rd 2003. Google says this is used to measure “attrition rate and is used in ROI and accounting analyses”.

1^st Search cohort:

Similar to the Install cohort but for the users first search.

It's certainly interesting to see what non-identifiable information Google is tracking. They seem to be making an effort to be transparent in the data they collect, but is it enough to dampen privacy fears? What do you think? Let us know!

More information can be found on the Chromium Blog and rlz page on Google Code.

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• Search The Human Body With Google Body Browser - December 21, 2010
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• Google AdWords Wants Your Products! - December 3, 2010
• Know How Mobile Internet Affects Your Website? Google Analytics does… - December 2, 2010

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