What if all our web searches were made public? The thought for many would probably be quite unsettling.
The beautiful, wonderful internet, unfortunately, can also be a sinister place to do and see things that otherwise we wouldn’t or shouldn’t.
Actually, AOL did something like this in 2006. Through a research project, they released the search history of 650,000 users over a 3-month period, over 20,000,000 searches. Although they stripped the names from the data, when the public learned what had happened, the outcry forced AOL to pull the data off the web. However, much of it was posted elsewhere on the web.
Here’s an example of one woman’s sad search history over two and a half months
body fat calliper 2006-03-01 18:54:10
curb morning sickness 2006-03-05 08:53:23
get fit while pregnant 2006-03-09 18:49:37
he doesn’t want the baby 2006-03-11 03:52:01
uou’re pregnant he doesn’t want the baby 2006-03-11 03:52:49
online degrees theology 2006-03-11 04:05:24
online christian colleges 2006-03-11 04:13:33
foods to eat when pregnant 2006-03-12 09:38:02
baby names 2006-03-14 19:11:10
baby names and meanings 2006-03-14 20:01:27
physician search 2006-03-23 10:20:04
best spa vacation deals 2006-03-27 20:04:09
maternity clothes 2006-03-28 09:28:25
pregnancy workout videos 2006-03-29 10:01:39
buns of steel video 2006-03-29 10:12:38
what is yoga 2006-03-29 12:17:31
what is theism 2006-03-29 12:18:30
hindu religion 2006-03-29 12:18:56
yoga and hindu 2006-03-29 12:32:05
is yoga alligned with christianity 2006-03-29 12:33:18
yoga and christianity 2006-03-29 12:33:42
abortion clinics charlotte nc 2006-04-17 11:00:02
greater carolinas womens center 2006-04-17 11:40:22
can christians be forgiven for abortion 2006-04-17 21:14:19
can christians be forgiven for abortion 2006-04-17 21:14:19
roe vs. wade 2006-04-17 22:22:07
effects of abortion on fibroids 2006-04-18 06:50:34
abortion clinic charlotte 2006-04-18 15:14:03
symptoms of miscarriage 2006-04-18 16:14:07
water aerobics charlotte nc 2006-04-18 19:41:27
abortion clinic chsrlotte nc 2006-04-18 21:45:39
total woman vitamins 2006-04-20 16:38:16
engagement gifts 2006-04-20 16:57:04
engagement rings 2006-04-20 16:58:37
mom’s turning 50 2006-04-20 17:51:13
high risk abortions 2006-04-20 17:53:49
abortion fibroid 2006-04-20 17:55:18
benefits of water aerobics 2006-04-20 23:25:50
wedding gown styles 2006-04-26 19:37:34
recover after miscarriage 2006-05-22 18:17:53
marry your live-in 2006-05-27 07:25:45
When I read this my heart sank. And, it forced me to ask myself some tough questions.
- Am I honoring God with the topics I search?
- Are my searches innocuous or do they point to sinful desires in my soul seeking to be satisfied with pixels?
- If not overtly sinful, do these searches point to holes in my soul (ie-searching other church web sites to see how well my church stacks up)?
- Would I want my wife, children, elders, congregation, or friends to know where I searched?
I first considered these thoughts when I read an article in Christianity today by a Christian blogger and leader, Tim Challies. I recommend it highly.
I believe it would behoove every pastor to consider what his or her web searches reveal.
