Have you ever imagined your favorite search engine is collecting data about your search behavior? This is why you get free services from search engines. For instance with Google just to name a few, you can sign up for a free email account (Gmail), a personalized search account (Google Personalized Search), a desktop search on your personal computer (Google Desktop Search). Even through Orkut, Google’s social networking service, you will leak your personal data to your favorite search engine.
If you are worried about leaking your privacy through you search history, follow the rules below:
- Firstly, never log in to your search engine account when you are performing your search activities.
- Use 2 type of browsers (IE and Firefox). Perform all your search activities on one of the browsers, and do everything else on the other.
- Use anonymizing proxy tools.
- Do not accept cookies from any search engines.
- Never perform search activities via the search engine which is owned by your ISP.
- Finally, do not put personally-identifiable information in your search activities.