Delete Google history?

[bless 'em all]

foreign johnny land.

[wim121]

did mine years ago. Google dashboard is quite an eye opener. I thought it was quite intrusive personally.

Indeed and that is just the data you're presented with.

Anyone going to delete their Google browsing history? How believable is it that data held by Google is anonymous and that IP addresses aren't also sneakily stored, and does it matter anyway given that the powers that be probably store this data anyway (well, dodgy site visits perhaps)?

IP addresses are stored with every search as well as bucket loads of other data. Every search whether signed in our not, ever performed on google is stored.

Some of the data is used to then predict trends and come up with product ideas. Profiles can be so complete and personalised, they have the potential to be very valuable.

There was a documentary a while back made in conjunction with google, showing the level of their business. They have also been in court over privacy issues numerous times as well.






However if all of that scares you, that is just the tip of the iceberg. Remember and be aware that every email, forum post, search, phone conversation, in short, every kind of electronic communication is monitored worldwide and has been since before the 80's. The automatic electronic analysing of the communications, go well beyond simple keywords or phrases, the system is incredibly adept and intercepting whatever data countries wish to eavesdrop on.



Privacy is an outmoded concept and has been for well over half a century.

[scooterscot]

Indeed.

If you need to keep message hush hush between you and another, use pen & paper with a stamp in the corner.

[wim121]

Indeed.

If you need to keep message hush hush between you and another, use pen & paper with a stamp in the corner.

Exactly and for added security, write nonsense in ink and then right the message in lemon or milk, which is then heated with an iron by the reader to decipher.

[Sysman]

They are very annoying - I dont want to be logged into Google yet because I have to be do that in youtube for playlists they carry it over - going to start using one browser for youtube and another for searches!

Virtual machines are also an answer to that problem. Different ids and behaviour patterns per VM etc...

All those browsers multiplied by the number of VMs you have, plus the ability to go back to the start of a session



VBoxManage startvm mypornmyprivatesite

can be useful

[SantaClaus]

Not sure how Google can track by IP as your typical Broadband provider doesn't give static IP addresses.

[wim121]

Not sure how Google can track by IP as your typical Broadband provider doesn't give static IP addresses.

Some dynamic ones dont change for days on end. My virgin one, changes every three days or so. When connecting to my VPN, it shows me which swedish datacentre Im connected to.

Even if the IP changes every hour, it doesnt make too much of a difference. By any IP address, you can trace that very easily and determine someones location.

Whenever I do an IP check, it shows my IP address and my location a couple of miles away from where I am (which I presume is where all the cabinets feed in to a hub or connect to BT's infrastructure).

[doodab]

Not sure how Google can track by IP as your typical Broadband provider doesn't give static IP addresses.

They use cookies but they probably keep the IP address searches originate from. Nearly any web server access log does. I used to love analysing my traffic and seeing all the exotic places people visited my sites from.

You can opt out of a lot of the behavioural advertising here. That doesn't necessarily mean they stop tracking you though, just that your ads will no longer be targeted.

http://www.networkadvertising.org/managing/opt_out.asp

[NotAllThere]

For example if one person searches for pictures of scantily clad women, the next family member to use the internet may find themselves being recommended a bikini contest on YouTube.

[doodab]

You laugh but I kept getting adverts for SAS. It was pissing me right off.