This article about keeping your search history private is continued from page one.
6. Clean up your cookies
Most websites have "cookies", tiny software programs that track your visits. You don't want to completely disable cookies because your Web search experience will definitely suffer, but you should clean them out every once in a while. PCWorld has an excellent article for Internet Explorer users titled
Protect Yourself: Clear Your Cookies and History; for Firefox users, try
Using the Cookie Manager.
7.Use an independent search engine
If you log onto the Web through an ISP such as Comcast, Earthlink, etc., don't use their search tools to browse the Web, because they'll be able to keep tabs on everything you're doing. Use an independent search engine such as Google, Yahoo, Ask, etc. (you can take your pick of
100 search engines!).
8. Disable auto-complete
Many browsers and even search engines have an
auto-complete feature that suggests endings for whatever word you might be typing in. This is a very convenient feature, however, if you're looking for privacy it's something you'll want to get rid of.
9. Careful of your downloads
Not only is this a good idea for privacy advocates, it's also a great way to keep your computer from freezing up. Be very cautious when choosing what to download from the Web; some programs include
adware that will report your surfing habits back to a third-party company that will then use that information to send you ads (spam). A good place to find credible free downloads (I test them myself) is the About Web Search
Free Downloads section.
10. Be careful where you surf
This is pretty self-explanatory: don't go places on the Web that you would be embarrassed to have your wife, husband, children, or employer see. This is a very low-tech way to protect your Web privacy.
