Google knows a lot about you. But do you know what Google knows about you?
BoingBoing has highlighted a helpful link that allows you to see "who Google knows that you know."
Last year, the search engine launched Social Search, a feature designed to showcase content from your social circle, defined as "a set of online friends and contacts." The Social Search results show up at the bottom of your query results under the heading "Results from people in your social circle." (Note: To turn off the Social Search feature, you must sign out of your Google Account.)
Here, Google will tell you who it considers to be in your social circle. Google explains how the "snapshot" of your online acquaintances was compiled:
This is the network of connections Google uses to identify relevant social search results. It is based on a combination of the following:
* Direct connections from your Google chat buddies and contacts * Direct connections from links that appear on your Google profile * Secondary connections that are publicly associated with your direct connections
In addition to web pages from your social circle, posts from your Google Reader subscriptions may also appear in your social search results.
Check it out and tell us what you found--were you surprised by who Google knows that you're friends with? Do you enjoy the Social Search feature or does it make you uncomfortable? Weigh in below.