Comments on: Amazon powers up Internet search engine

A9 service claims strong organizational skills and TiVo-like recommendations. Will it be a Google slayer?

[Earl Benser]

That's all I need....

...Another option for Amazon's generally useless
recommendations.

I do not use Amazon because a.) the selection and prices are not
that good, and 2.) the garbage load is overwhelming. I will do
my best to avoid the Amazon search engine.

[LandOfToz]

RE: That's all I need...

Have you even bothered to try A9.com? If not, then you shouldn't offer an opinion.

I don't know what axe you have to grind with Amazon, but you are sadly mistaken, because their selection is second to only eBay and their prices are very competetive.

I also don't know what you're referring to when you say "the garbage load is overwhelming", but as a developer, I know that if more businesses used Amazon as a model, maybe they would enjoy as much success.

[joeonsunset]

Be careful with the A9 toolbar!

I was eager to try the a9 toolbar that is associated with Amazon.com's new search engine. That is, until I read the end-user license agreement. I expected to read that the toolbar collects all the URLs I visited and uses them to personalize my search results. This isn't too much unlike the Google toobar's PageRank feature.

What I didn't expect was to read that Amazon associates this data with all your personally identifiable information it collects on the download of the toolbar, and even links it with the information you have on file from shopping with Amazon.com (like your credit card number & billing address.) Then they go on to remind you that they'll disclose this information to law enforcement if they feel like it (if they suspect you're violating they law... not just if they're served with a court order.)

So by using the toolbar you're giving Amazon.com a database of every single site you visit (except, thank you, https urls), associated with your name, address, potentially credit card numbers and purchase histor. And you're giving them the right to report that information to government agencies if they suspect you're going anything wrong.

Yipes.