Let's assume you're working for a company (start-up or industry dinosaur doesn't matter) on a secret project. Well at least nobody outside of the company should now about it. You're an engineer and of course you're using search engines for your daily work. Let's assume you're using one particular search engine very often (e.g. Google).

Now Google receives your search queries AND as a part of your request YOUR request IP.

With tools like MaxMind's GeoIP (www.maxmind.com/app/locate_ip) it would be easy for Google to find out your location and the business you are working for. Combining this information with all the search queries, which you and your colleagues triggered via Google, would allow insight in what you are currently working on.

If I look up "industrial espionage" in Wikipedia it states: […] Industrial espionage describes activities such as theft of trade secrets, bribery, blackmail, and technological surveillance. […]

What do you think? Do you think this is possible?