MSGraph at WebmasterWorld posted a link to a Google Patent filed in August 22, 2005 with authors including Matt Cutts named removing documents.
The patent basically describes how you can remove documents using Google personalized search, which I described in detail with Google Personalized Search Removal of Results Feature. But msgraph points to a few specific lines in the patent application.
40. A method, comprising: aggregating information regarding documents that have been removed by a group of users; and assign scores to a set of documents based on the aggregated information.
41. The method of claim 40, wherein aggregating information regarding documents that have been removed by a group of users includes: identifying a set of legitimate users and a set of illegitimate users; and collecting information regarding documents that have been removed by the set of legitimate users.
42. The method of claim 40, wherein aggregating information regarding documents that have been removed by a group of users includes: identifying a set of users with a defined relationship; and collecting information regarding documents that have been removed by the set of users.
Now, before I explain them, look at the last question Chris Sherman asks Matt Cutts in A Keynote Conversation with Google's Matt Cutts from SES London (thanks Li).
Chris: Crystal ball time, where do you see Google going in the next 3-5 years?
Matt: Fantastic question, in my own opinion – personalization, and localization. Also if you have your data, you can store it at Google. You can almost start your own business of 5-10 business for free. Google’s ambition to organize the worlds information, this is really where its going.
Now, the patent application does seem to imply that Google may (or may not) use personalization data on the "aggregate." Which would mean that forming a collected base o trusted Google searchers, in a social aspect, i.e. Google Co Op and others, may be the future of your results. Would Google use the "remove result" feature as a way to determine what pages are more trusted than others? Um, "aggregating information regarding documents that have been removed by a group of users includes" and doing what with that?
Keep in mind, this is just a patent application. The whole or pieces of this patent application may or may not be used in the future or in the current Google algorithm.
Forum discussion at WebmasterWorld.
