Searching the web is something most people do everyday, multiple times. Beginning every browsing session with a search is not uncommon So if the search engine you’re using is tracking your behavior, the data profile they have about you is very detailed.
Don’t Use an Email Service Provided by Your Search Engine
If you are using an email provider like Gmail or Yahoo!, those companies are able to link your searches back to your email address. Rather than creating a profile around your device, the companies can now link you to your search data on any device you have used to log into your email. You likely entered your name, and other personal information when creating your account. As a result all this information could be linked to your search terms and any other information the search engine tracks.
Don’t Accept Cookies for any Major Search Engines
Cookies from big search engines are used to remember which language you most commonly use, which sites you’ve visited before, among other information. These cookies are used by online advertisers to let them know if you have viewed their ads. For example, DoubleClick (by Google) cookies can track your information on any site that has DoubleClick ads. Because the major search engines also have some of the world’s
Use Multiple Search Engines
If you always use the same search engine that allows for that search engine to maintain a complete data profile about you. By switching often and even within a single browsing section, while your data will fall into more hands, each picture will be less complete. Thus, the privacy implications are much lower. This could mean at home you use one search engine, while at work you use another. This way one search engine can’t connect your work behavior with your home browsing.
Just Use a Private Search Engine
There are ways you can use big search engines and circumvent their tracking. But it’s much simpler to just use a private search engine, like Search Encrypt, that doesn’t track your search history in any user identifiable way. We minimize the risk for the user, and for us, that comes with collecting and storing data. Private search engines are a quick and easy way to keep your internet browsing sessions more private.