Might be somebody else posing as google.
I've used the hell out of google's services over the years. Hard to believe they're using spyware.
They can gather a whole boatload of data from their willing users and sell it. No need to use spyware
For the most part I have found google to be an honest broker of their services.
Here's one google lit of products
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Looking on Altavista I found this:
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SearchIt violated two criteria and damaged the test machine. First, it hijacked my IE error page. Entries made in the IE address bar were redirected to the SearchIt homepage,
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Second, deceptive popup and popunder ads opened as a result of using the SearchIt toolbar, some of them seemingly unrelated to the use of the product. An example of a particularly deceptive popunder ad (the ad was displayed underneath the currently open window) took nearly the identical format of Windows warnings: 'Warning: Spyware Detected - Microsoft Internet Explorer' was listed in the title bar and a bright red 'Warning' preceded text warning of the grave threat of spyware. Ads were served from sites like banner3.inet-traffic.com and
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In addition to the aforementioned criteria violations, SearchIt created problems as a result of uninstalling. The first time it was uninstalled it broke my internet connection. The uninstaller deleted objects that resulted in the loss of internet connection. On another uninstall, SearchIt erased references to Google in the toolbar listings in Internet Explorer.