Privacy, Google, and Web Browsers

[davidbrady]

Jeff,

I think that's about the best you can do. I also run Blur (previously 'DoNotTrackMe') which adds a layer of security to personal information, including credit card numbers and email addresses, when filling out forms.

It may be a little overboard, but I also tend not to use my real name or other identifying information when filling out forms. I'll make up a name and I also make up answers to question clues like "mother's maiden name", "city of birth", "name of first pet", and so on. There's no need to give out the real info. Make it up!

Also, for the inevitable case where a google search is required, Opt out. You can ask Google to limit what it stores. I think eliminating Chrome is a big first step. While Chrome is a good browser, it's also a terrible memory hog and often locks up my machine. So far, I'm enjoying much better performance with Pale Moon.

Again, I'm not a security expert so maybe others can add to this list.

Sadly, my opinion is that the Internet is pretty much broken when it comes to security. We need to actively work to ensure our privacy. It's slowly gotten this way with few noticing, to the point where many folks think it's normal for software to spy on us and for our search engines to profile us. That's just plain wrong!