Google announced they are having an opt in field trial of including Gmail emails, contacts and flights in the right hand side bar of the Google search results.

So if you search in Google for something and Google thinks a relevant email or contact or flight is relevant to your search, Google will show a section in the top right of matching emails. Note, the emails are now shown by default.

(1) You need to opt in to the field trial (not available for Google Apps users).

(2) You need to click on view emails or results to expand the actual emails

(3) You have to have matching emails for the search

There is a tremendous panic around Google showing personal emails in your Google search results. Which is a bit crazy because you need to opt into it to see it. But I can see how people would be concerned.

Google is searching the open web and your personal email in the same query.

A HackerNews user complained saying:

In which, Google’s Matt Cutts responded:

Here are some screen shots of contacts and flights showing up:

To sign up, you need to go to the field trial and as Googler Jessica notes in a Google Web Search Help thread:

Forum discussion at HackerNews, WebmasterWorld and Google Web Search Help.