Search Tips
There has been a lot of talk about how dangerous ads are and how they can track you, spy on you, and maybe even mess up your computer. But what about when you search? Are there bad search engines? Definitely! Are all of them bad? Most are bad in some ways, but there are good ones that you can use instead.
Think about what you actually send to a search engine when you search for something:
- Operating System, Browser, and other computer details.
- IP Address (Your location, usually to the nearest town.)
- Your Search Keyword
So what does that mean?
- Your computer detalis in the top part is sent to any website you visit.
- Your IP Address is unique to YOU. It's like your virtual finger print.
- Your search keyword can be anything, and this is the dangerous part.
While number 1 and 2 can be hidden using an anonymization technique, your keyword can easily identify your most private thoughts. If John Smith does a search on his name in Google for instance, Google would know that
- The searcher is using i.e. WindowsXP | Mozilla Firefox 3.5 | Internet Service Provider (ISP) + Connection Speed
- The searcher is located in i.e. NYC, NY, USA.
- The searcher wants to know about "John Smith"
Now that's not too scary, but what if your name stands out in a small town? It's easy to check if John Smith lives in the city his IP points to. From that you can find out the addresses of all people named John Smith in that town. Next you could find out how many John Smiths use that specific ISP, and shorten the list down to a very few names.
So what is the chance of the Search Engine doing something bad with this info? Not very high, right? THINK AGAIN! It has happened before that a search engine has posted all their records online for the public to see. In 2006, the search engine AOL posted all the search data they had to the public in what became known as the AOL search data scandal.
Although the list was removed by AOL shortly afterwords, it was mirrored and re-uploaded. Today you can still find the data on the web, and although the users have been given numbers and not names, some have been tracked down. Thelma Arnold of Lilburn, Ga. was identified purely from her searches and an "anonymous" number given to her by AOL as described in this article. If you have any doubts, why don't you check out the database for yourself? It's over here at aolstalker.com
So what can YOU do to make sure that you stay anonymous with your searches?
Well, seeing as most of the major search engines keep these details in their database for 18 months (Google) or so, you would be much better off using an anonymous search engine. Does that exist? Of course! Go to Ixquick.com and enjoy your own privacy.
Ixquick does NOT keep your IP, it does NOT keep your search phrase, and it does NOT give you a unique, identifying cookie. Check out their privacy information here.
I suggest you read around the site and start using their search engine. If you are coming from being a loyal user of Google, I recommend that you do some searches with their search engine and get used to it. It might take you a while as the results are a little different, but Ixquick will get you just as much good results as any other search engine.
So go now, make yourself at home with your new search engine. At least you won't be a "User 227" in the next scandal.