My Google search inquiry popped up on my Mac as an iMessage notification! Privacy Concern

Question

Level 1

4 points

My Google search inquiry popped up on my Mac as an iMessage notification! Privacy Concern

Hi everyone,

I hope you're all well 🙂 I searched "queen bed dimensions" on my Macbook, and seconds later, my husbands iMessage notification popped up on the top right (like all iMessages do), and his message was "Google search: queen bed dimensions." Creepy.

Before anyone concludes my husband is some weird telepathic magician who accurately guessed my search inquiry, my phone doesn't show this in our texting history and neither does my Mac. Perhaps it may helpful to know that were were texting back and forth before and after I conducted the search.

This is a privacy issue...iMessage should in no way be linked to my browser and know what I type in there. 😠

Any insight or personal experience with this creepy issue would help.

Thanks,

Divya

MacBook Pro with Retina display, OS X El Capitan (10.11.1)

Posted on Jul 30, 2016 1:23 PM

Reply

Answer 1

Jul 30, 2016 2:05 PM in response to DivyaH

Hi,

Actually my first thought was Parental Controls.

However on closer reading - I had thought the Notification was on his computer but - you are clear it was apparently an iMessages from him on yours.

Is your Browser set to display Notifications ?

I understand some messaging sites accessed with a Browser can do this.

Is the issue/symptom repeatable ?

Can you Screen Grab it ?

As the search was with Google did you happen to be logged in to Google in anyway at the time ?

(some web logins will last for 2 weeks if you don't specifically log out when you finish).

Do you use your Google ID in GoogleTalk/Hangouts at all ?

Is this ID used in Messages ?

I can't say I have seen this (I have a Google Account and use it is Messages) nor have I seen any similar thread on the issue.

10:05 pm Saturday; July 30, 2016

 iMac 2.5Ghz i5 2011 (El Capitan)
 G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
 MacBookPro 2Gb (Snow Leopard 10.6.8)
 Mac OS X (10.6.8),
 iPhone and an iPad (2)

Reply