Google launches its new “privacy” policy tomorrow. Many commentators have said that the new policy will weaken privacy protections, and allow Google to gather enormous amounts of information across its multiple platforms … and keep the information forever.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation has two how-to guides on how to remove data from Google and Youtube searches.
Here are EFF’s instructions regarding clearing information from Google searches:
On March 1st, Google will implement its new, unified privacy policy, which will affect data Google has collected on you prior to March 1st as well as data it collects on you in the future. Until now, your Google Web History (your Google searches and sites visited) was cordoned off from Google’s other products. This protection was especially important because search data can reveal particularly sensitive information about you, including facts about your location, interests, age, sexual orientation, religion, health concerns, and more. If you want to keep Google from combining your Web History with the data they have gathered about you in their other products, such as YouTube or Google Plus, you may want to remove all items from your Web History and stop your Web History from being recorded in the future.
Here’s how you can do that:
1. Sign into your Google account.
2. Go to https://www.google.com/history
3. Click “remove all Web History.”
4. Click “ok.”
Note that removing your Web History also pauses it. Web History will remain off until you enable it again.
[UPDATE 2/22/2012]: Note that disabling Web History in your Google account will not prevent Google from gathering and storing this information and using it for internal purposes. It also does not change the fact that any information gathered and stored by Google could be sought by law enforcement.
With Web History enabled, Google will keep these records indefinitely; with it disabled, they will be partially anonymized after 18 months, and certain kinds of uses, including sending you customized search results, will be prevented. If you want to do more to reduce the records Google keeps, the advice in EFF’s Six Tips to Protect Your Search Privacy white paper remains relevant.
1. Log in to your Google account.
2. Go to https://www.youtube.com
3. Click on your icon.
4. Click “Video Manager”
5. Click “History”
6. Click “Clear all viewing history.”
7. Click “Pause viewing history.”
8. Click “Search History.”
9. Click “Clear all search history.”
10. Click “Pause search history.”
For additional tips from EFF for protecting your search privacy, see this.
EFF is one of the leading groups helping people to protect their online privacy. Please consider donating.
Note: Valuing online privacy could get you labeled as a potential terrorist … but then again, you’ve probably done something to earn you that label anyway.
Using Start Page and Opera. Set opera/tools/Preferences/cookies/never accept cookies.
When you go to site specific say ZH do the above but change to accept cookies. Then you will have info/saved. In that case it is site by site but the general browser has the overall block.
You can also set it to accept but delete when you close the browser.
startpage.com I like these guys - they use Google through the back door for searches - encrypted, vpn Holland based server - no direct connection to your ip. So, use the almighty Google, and fuck them over at the same time. Priceless.
I've been using startpage. Not as good as goog or bing, but when you think of the danger of goog profiling you...it's worth it.
Another neat, free app:
http://www.donottrackplus.com/howitworks.php
Do Not Track + blocks goog, facebook and many others from recording web visits. Works with IE, Firefox and others. check it out
Looking at that site, they have some impressive bonifides.
And from them this "The result is that you can transparently use Google search, images, maps, products, news, etc... without Google being able to track you by IP address, Cookie, or any other identifying HTTP headers. And only your Google traffic is redirected. Everything else from your browser goes directly to its destination."
Nice. I'm gonna look at them some more.
Thanks GW ;)
least ZH'ers won't become corporate battery farmed (data mined) chickens plucked by the Goonbubble privacy thieves
When one thinks of the Netherlands, the first thing that typically pops into their mind is the European nation’s liberal stance on just about everything from smoking pot to legalized prostitution. When it comes to online gambling, however, Holland’s approach has become even more hard line than that of the United States.
The Dutch Supreme Court this week ordered Internet gambling firms that operate outside the country to install blocking software to prevent its citizens from gaining access to said sites.
Say what?
Even worse, the ruling notes that banking institutions found to be processing payments for foreign operators could face prosecution.
Since when did the Netherlands become China?
Oh wait, China hasn’t even imposed these types of restrictions.
So next time you’re in Holland, remember you can shoot up heroin, have sex with an overpriced prostitute, take in a live sex show, enjoy an ecstasy-laced cocktail….but you can’t play online poker.
http://www.gambling911.com/gambling-news/think-us-bad-when-it-comes-online-gambling-dutch-are-far-worse-022912.html
Must not have a poker lobby.
Of course the screen shots provided are dated now that we are in March. I had an account way back to view a group calendar. Figured out how to view the "old" UI for my account. Under that I was able to view a delete account option. I deleted my google account but I seriously dobt it deleted the data it said it was going to delete.
Judas Priest - Electric Eye
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQ96oEwYrE8
GW, seriously, Bloggers need to investigate the passing of Breitbart.
In his case, I would suspect Foul Play until proven otherwise.
If you don't want Google tracking you, don't use Google. Are you really going to trust Google by "turning off" their intrusive behaviour? Haha...
Thise reminds me of the smart meter hysteria. Everybody is bitching about smart meters while completely ignoring the fact they have been dependent on the grid since forever. If you are worried about smart meters, the best course of action is to move off grid.
yes but the smart meter allows the user to sell electricity back, and be less dependent on the grid, without that meter my solar system would have to charge a bank of expensive high maintenance environmentally harmful batteries. the point of all this information you share is to be smarter than the meter. and if your bank has several key personal questions to access you account, don't use YOUR REAL NICKNAME, make one up. there is also a way to mask your IP which i think would give you anonymity. the first threat is that someone will hack our personal info and our money, the second threat, far less tangible is that government will somehow be interested in all this. they will need a hard drive the size of a galaxy to hold it all. and for what purpose? who has time to look at it? mostly they just want to sell you stuff. it's hard to believe there is that much money in add revenue, but there you go. the truth.
Of course you are mostly correct. The fix is already in, but to not fight Smart Meters is like being under Stockholm Syndrome. Plus, not only is control and privacy, there are serious health issues with even more microwave radiation which smart meters certainly increase. Getting off the grid is of course the best option, but difficult for most. But I suspect that sooner or later, we will ALL be "off the grid", whether we want to or not!
Google Opt Out Privacy is an option...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMChO0qNbkY
I wonder how many here have actually gone in to see their web history - a few years back I was shocked to see it had a record of everything, but the kicker is if you use chrome or google tool bar the detail is that much more detailed not to mention the goog streetview service and it's accidental gathering of IPs associated with where you live. I imagine at the stroke of midnight that Googs computers were in overdrive consolidating the personal profiles of hundreds of millions of users for lease to the highest bidder and of course available for free to DHS. Personally I feel much safer with the knowledge that an electronic dossier including geo tracking now exists for millions of Americans and of course with that data the ability to predict with great accuracy the behaviors not only of those people but just about everybody. And just in time for NDAA to boot.
And is it a coincidence that Breitbart has just died?
Looks like Andrew was probably a victim of the NDAA.
Has Abu Hussein has begun the liquidation of his political enemies?
Ron Paul had better hire a food taster.
I guess tomorrow Rush will get whacked by an IED.
And so begins the Stalinist Purge of American Citizens?
The old "Don't Be Evil" google video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7U1e4B_iI8
George,
I criticize you often but many thanks for providing this valuable information.
http://www.googlesharing.net/
Similar to the Startpage one
Interesting.
What if you use Google and Youtube but don't have a Google "account" or Youtube "icon"?
not having an account is better but your searches are still logged along with your location etc. and the info is "anonymized" after 18 months - if you have a dynamic IP address e.g. not cable or not from business and you regularly clear your cookies and super cookies (flash cookies) you're in pretty good shape - but if for example you were in one session to search for a porn site, look up a phone number and find the location of the nearest Best Buy good ol' goog would start get profile and of course they know your location via the IP you are using. Just keep clearing cookies and use Fire Fox with Better Privacy installed. And whatevere you do if you are on gmail or something don't ever do a search whilst you are signed in.
Makes sense. I'm going to check out that browser add-on mentioned below.
From now on they might as well be known as Goggle.
March 1st: The day that Google died.
breaking news
In Memoriam: Andrew Breitbart (1969-2012)
http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/lsolov/2012/03/01/draft/
courtesy Drudge
this is just stupid
don't forget "duckduckgo" that someone talked about here the other day.
DuckDuckGo is particularly good because it is open source.
!!Bing!! (Because It's Not Google.)
Everyone is a "potential terrorist"
Poke them in the eye with a sharp stick long enough and you change someones temperment.
Collect this GooGle.....Fuck You's.
Google: Fuck You - please file that in your database.
"Don't be evil" . . . right.
Would you trust a company who's motto was:
We totally aren't doing anything wrong here TM ??
ou can also use www.startpage.com" or "ww.scroogle.org" to avoid being tracked and handed over to marketeers I read.
scroogle is kaput:
http://www.webpronews.com/scroogle-gets-screwgled-after-days-of-ddos-att...
Thanks!
Short goog.
Privacy and profit will never get along, privacy loses 100% of the time. Youre an idiot to think they will work in the same business model!
Seek alternatives if you value privacy.
Do no evil my fucking ass.
Peak google - thank me later.
Netherlands based free web mail: http://www.excite.com/
Videos: www.dailymotion.com/brotherjohnf
Fuck antthing Google!
Wade in the water, children.
Study all knowledge. Search on amyl nitrate, sodium bicarbonate, Ataxerxes, Joseph Heller, Manichaeism, Alexander Hamilton, Maurice Merleau-Ponty, multiple sclerosis, marquetry, ultracrepidarianism.
At least give them a run for the money ....
I'm no techie, but I've always thought along those lines, we can take active steps to make our personal information worthless. Any sight that wants your demographic info, be something different every time. Be adventurous and contradictory. The macro effect would be a conglomeration of bad information that no one in their right mind would pay for or otherwise value.
While you're at it, search for the "Anarchist's Cookbook". That's a favorite of theirs, too.
Wait... someone's at the door. Gotta go.
give them all sorts of fake plots and thought patterns just to fuck with them.
for those who are not gmail, facebook, but who use google search, what's the recipe? If there is one...
If not, who cares; I'm sure, one way or the other, big brother knows where you've been on the NET via your IP!
I change my IPs with commercial encrypted tunnels (VPN) and have multiple identities - not that I need it, but it's fun - and I can surf the way I want when I'm in China as a small boon
You lost me at "sign in to google"....
same here
i use google all the time , but, sign in?
never
no password
no account (i guess)
privacy is a myth. do what you want and take your lumps, there's no escape.
Don't be afraid.
Baahhh-eh-eh!!
sign into google, cancel accounts...gmail, youtube, picasa...everything.
then don't use google as search engine...ever
don't miss the Goog, nor FaceBook
Fuck em
shutting down my browser and doing it right now...thanks for the reminder!