Yes ladies and gentlemen, it seems that Facebook comments are finally showing up in Google search results. Google’s bots have recently gained the ability to index pages that have AJAX and JavaScript content — Facebook comments, for instance. Until now, Google wasn’t able to index and rank most 3rd party commenting systems (like our own Disqus), but now that they’re able to, you can bet they’re going to.
Concerned about privacy implications? Well, you probably shouldn’t be. All the privacy options that are available with Facebook and such still apply, so if your account is locked down properly, you won’t see any of your particularly embarrassing drunken rants showing up in Google searches until one of your so-called “friends” decides to submit one to all the popular comedy websites as revenge for a similar, but unrelated tirade directed at him that he thought was completely uncalled for, but that he totally had coming. Not that that’s ever happened to me. Definitely not. (But really though, it hasn’t.)
The comments that’ll be showing up in Google searches are largely ones in public forums, so there’s really no breach of privacy here unless you’re a total troll and Google is blowing up your spot. There is, however, a minor breach of privacy somewhere else. If your privacy settings are all locked down tight, but you make a comment to Steve, who hasn’t updated his privacy settings since senior year of high school, your comment may become searchable, so watch your step.
All in all, this is something you totally should have seen coming, so hopefully you’re ready. You’ve had a couple of years to come to terms with the fact that things on the Internet are rarely private. I hope you’ve adjusted.
(via PCWorld)
