Posted on 11/03/2015 7:16:32 AM PST by dennisw
My question to freepers is should I delete all google, bing, yahoo cookies periodically? Does this help any? I really like google images and maps and same that bing and yahoo have for maps and images.... So how do I minimize their data collection? I already use track-me-not on chrome and firefox. This program makes useless random searches a few times per minute so that my own searches get lost in it. But I wonder how effective this strategy is?
IOW duck duck go etc that do not track you are limited search engines///// Plus does google, bing, yahoo insert cookies anyway that track duck duck go searches?
This is a very good book that tells you all about the US Government data collection on you plus private corporations data gathering. What is done with the data google gathers? It is sold to data brokers. This data is useful in advertising and knowing consumer trends and buying trends on a geographical (zip code) basis and sorted out in other ways too. Such as estimated incomes and estimated race etc etc
I knew all this data collection and storage (is forever!!!! and never deleted) was going on but this book showed me it is worse than I thought
Why do you used google???
Try StartPage, they don’t track, they don’t sell your name and every search term to the highest bidder.
Bkmrk.
Or just browse using a private window. Most browsers have the option these days.
Well.... the program CCLEANER does an excellent job of deleting cookies and deleting temporary work files from all your browsers.
The program is FREE. It also does many other things and is a very handy utility to have.
I run it about once a day (at end of day’s use of the computer).
Download at https://www.piriform.com/ccleaner/download
(I know nothing about the technical issues here, but) I delete cookies and history several times per day, and also run my Symantec “active scan” several times per day. This seems to help my “online experiences”. HA
Yeah, but I’ve found the only convenient way to do it (I use IE 11) is with CCleaner.
CCleaner let’s you tell it what cookies NOT to delete- like FR, bank, other sites- and then deletes all the other cookies when you run it.
Run it about once a week.
Use duckduckgo. No tracking, no ads.
First, you can install Ghostery. That blocks almost all tracking cookies. But, you’ll need a browser like Firefox or Chrome that supports the extension.
Otherwise, you can configure your browser to delete all your history and cookies every time you shut it down completely. Then, all you need to do is restart your browser to clear your cookies.
Ditch GOogle.
Nope. If you want to be anonymous don’t be on the internet, if you are on the internet accept that you are not anonymous.
—another question —I inadvertantly clicked “remember password” on a site—now it always does—how do I reverse that and make it “not remember”—??
I use a program called "Sandboxie". It runs your browser (or any other program for that matter if you choose) inside a piece of locked memory space. Anything the browser does is contained within that space and cannot leak not can it call api's outside of said space (unless you monkey with the settings and let it.. I wouldn't). You can even execute a virus and when you close the browser, it simply goes away... along with cookies or anything else you did while browsing.
My habits are pretty strict. I don't download anything unknown, I don't visit questionable websites and I run Sandboxie. I don't even use an antivirus program on my computers because of those strict habits. Years of practicing the same methods and I have yet to be infected with anything. Secondly, I also avoid google, or any accounts associated with google.. youtube, gmail, all of it. I won't even use their search engine, they keep a history of it all, cookies or not. They lost my trust years ago. If you have a cell phone that is utilizing a google service, it is also tracking your travels unless you turned that "feature" off. Just my 2 cents on the subject
Internet Privacy will cost you about 100+ year.
1. Get a private email account from startmail, hush mail,etc. I.e. an account that isn’t data mined and the information sold.
2. Sign up with a VPN IP proxy service such as IP vanish or hide my ass. When you connect to the Internet you connect to the service via encryption and all your ISP can see is that you are connected to the service.
3. Use Linux as you desktop operating system. You can use it in a dual boot configuration with Windows if you prefer.
4. When Browsing run a private browser session.
5. Use Ixquick or Duckduckgo as your search engine.
Most people don’t care about privacy at all. But I do.
A while back I was looking at some hotels,a week later I received an offer from the Hotel via mail a few days later.
(I was running a Private session in my browser and didn’t fill out any forms).
Decided that was enough. I don’t need everything and eveywhere I go on the Internet tracked.
“Or just browse using a private window”
I am aware of these features for firefox and chrome...so when I am using private window google never sees or can track my search there? I suppose if I go onto gmail in my private window then it does. With chrome this the private window is called incognito. I use both chrome and firefox.
So just go on gmail in my non-private, normal browsing window?
“the program CCLEANER does an excellent job of deleting cookies”
So you use this at the end of the day but during the day google / bing / yahoo has been tracking you and sending this info back to the mothership. This my guess
that looks good !!! I am going to read more and prolly install it.
“how do I minimize their data collection?”
Don’t give your data to them.
Don’t use them.
Google etc exist for the purpose of data mining. EVERY contact you have with them gives them data about you. I don’t know offhand if they’re putting “tracking cookies” on your computer; by the time they’d put one on they’ve already got enough of your information. Erasing those cookies (if they exist) hourly will do little to improve your desired anonymity.
You have to accept the fact that using the Internet _at_all_ means your information WILL be gathered & tracked (there’s lots more ways than just “cookies”). Just the fact that they have to send information to you means they have some kind of identifier for you, and can aggregate what you’ve seen into who you are. Consider: Facebook’s famous “like” picture is served from Facebook - so every time you go to a page with that thumbs-up icon, Facebook knows what page you’ve been to.
Yes, it’s scary how much “they” know about you. You have to decide whether that fear trumps the benefits of using the Internet.
There’s always the library (free anonymous access to information) and bookstores (cash will buy you more information). Yes, it’s slower and limited - we’ve learned to trade anonymity for the firehose of data.
> So just go on gmail in my non-private, normal browsing window?
It’s not “private” if you are signing into gmail with an account name and password ;-)
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