Basics4Mac - Keeping your Personal Data out of Google's Hands

Protecting your privacy.

Startpage
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It isn't too big of a secret that Google stores an incredible amount of data about your browsing activity. Many websites that you visit collect information about you as well. (For the record, Basics4Mac collects only aggregate data on its visitors.)

In response to the recent tip on deleting browser cookies, I received an email from a reader who tipped me off to some services that let you browse anonymously.

If you have a Google account and want to see what Google knows about you, go to Google Dashboard. (If you use Gmail, Google Docs, Google Voice, or any of their other products, you have a Google account.) If you don't have a Google account, rest assured that they are still tracking you, but I can't find any public way to get to that information.

To avoid being tracked, the reader suggested a site called Startpage. You enter your search queries into Startpage and they forward them off to Google hiding your identity. You can also browse web sites with your information hidden as well.

There is an interesting article about Startpage and similar tools for Firefox here.

Whether you use a service like Startpage or not depends on how you feel about keeping your personal information private. The internet has changed how we share information, and some people think privacy isn't even important anymore. Balancing the convenience of the vast information available on the internet with concerns about privacy is a choice that everyone should at least consider.