Why Is Pornography That I’ve Never Searched on Google Showing up in My Search History?
No questions too strange and no problems too small for the Tech 911 . This week we’re researching a question from a reader who discovers something in her Google Story that she (claims) she never searched … and things only get more interesting from now on.
There is no such thing as sharing
In an email from Lifehacker reader Tiffany :
“I have a question that has been relevant for the last 3 years. So to be honest, my boyfriend and I watch porn separately on our phones. Each of us checked each other’s phone activity through Google, and when he looks at mine, there are elements that I have never googled, such as chats with live cameras. I have never entered this into my Google search in my life, but I have a suspicion that these are pop-ups from porn sites. I want to know how and why they appear in my searches. There are other things that I supposedly googled, but I know for a fact that I didn’t. Could you help me?”
Well.
It is of course possible that you get pop-ups while browsing … sessions … and that they appear in your google history. I just did a little research (for science) and these annoying ads can appear quite regularly even on some of the more famous sites that one might first think about to go when a little daily distraction is needed from the neckcade .
Pop-up ads can appear on both desktop computers and mobile devices – the former is worth noting because if you use the same Google account on your smartphone and on your desktop (or laptop) and sync its content across your devices , your search history will have everything you looked at. So, it’s entirely possible that you get pop-ups in one place without really thinking about it, but then wondering why the history of your mobile phone (or Google) is full of things that you don’t remember viewing on your smartphone.
It is also possible, although less likely, that you are logged in on a different computer that you do not know about, and whoever uses that browser is adding strange things to your synced history. If so, you’ll likely notice a lot more sites that you don’t remember about, and maybe even some really strange activity on your account (like emails you didn’t send). Just in case, go to your Google My Account page, click on Device Actions and Security Events, click on Browse Devices under Recently Used Devices, click on each authorized device and delete it.
You will have to go through the slightly annoying process of reconnecting devices you regularly use to Google, but at least you will have a little more peace of mind knowing that someone else is not viewing your account. (I’m still not sure if this is the problem, but of course it doesn’t hurt.)
While you are doing this, consider also changing your password and enabling two-factor authentication in case someone other than you or your boyfriend has access to your account.
And while we’re on this topic, now is the time to discuss whether it makes sense to let someone – even your boyfriend – view your digital content. Don’t be too fond of the Love Doctor instead of the Tech Doctor, trust is important and everything in a relationship, but you probably should have some privacy as well.
Talk about what you enjoy watching and search the web – heck, even share your loved ones with each other over dinner – but letting someone else access your account and / or devices? Not a great idea from a security standpoint. (At least that’s my guess; it’s entirely possible that you are just browsing your Chrome history together, which doesn’t sound like the funniest date possible, but hey , the couple that Pornhub puts together stays together. Or something like that. .)
Do you have a technical question that is keeping you awake at night? Tired of searching and troubleshooting Windows or Mac issues? Looking for advice on applications, browser extensions, or utilities that you can use to accomplish a specific task? Let us know! Let us know in the comments below, or better yet, write to david.murphy@lifehacker.com .