Google Wants to Read Your Mind

Google wants to know about you—all about you. The company's stated goal of "total information" extends to users' leisure time and even their careers, the Financial Times reports. The ultimate goal is to allow advertisers to target users so precisely that their ads fetch higher rates than more scattershot marketing.

Says the CEO: "The goal is to enable Google users to be able to ask the question such as 'What shall I do tomorrow?' and 'What job shall I take?'" Google's announced purchase of DoubleClick advances that goal but also raises privacy concerns.  The company points out that participation in its personalized search and recently relaunched iGoogle features is voluntary. (More Google stories.)