Two years ago Google became an essential tool for singles looking to check into the background of people they were potentially interested in. A quick Google-check of a new date could help differentiate between princes and psychopaths. Googling friends, co-workers and other acquaintances became a guilty pastime for several Internet users, just as Googling oneself can be an enormous ego boost. It simply stands to reason that savvy business people and salesfolk have taken the tool to another level and are using Google to check out the interests and needs of clients and customers. A hotel in Los Angeles runs every reservation through Google to try to anticipate their guest’s needs before they arrive, placing early risers in east-facing rooms and vacationers in west-facing rooms.

Many marketers and salespeople compile a great deal of personal information on their sales-targets including family names, birthdays and personal successes in order to make complementary conversation. Google, which can provide information on just about anyone if used properly, can now be considered the world’s largest source for personal information on customers and clients.