Have you ever wondered about your online searches being visible to someone other than you?
Let’s say you wish to search and book a doctor appointment, purchase a pair of knickers, or just want to watch the latest Spider-Man movie trailer. So you open your laptop, go to Google.com and start your adventure.
Easy Peasy, Right?
But you don’t know that your online searches are available to be seen by your internet service provider or anyone on the internet with a decent level of spying and hacking skills.
Every second there are over 40,000 google searches. This data doesn’t include the searches from other popular search engines such as Yandex and Microsoft Bing.
You’d think that just using the incognito mode of chrome extension would be fine for your private and secret searches, but you are wrong.
There’s so much more to keeping your online searches private, and today that is exactly what we are going to tell you. Today, we will be disclosing the five different methods that you can adopt to keep your online searches private and secure from everyone.
Just a heads-up, we will be suggesting using a virtual private network down the line. We understand that many internet users see this technology as a costly expenditure, but trust us when several budget-friendly options are available.
Just make sure to check out the list of cheap VPNs tested by VPNRanks, and you’d get yourself the most affordable security on the internet.
So without further ado, let’s get started. Oh, since everyone in today’s age should be aware of these ways, you better not forget to share this article on your social media account.
Incognito Mode/Private Window
You may get deceived by the name, but that’s okay. Incognito mode in the Chrome browser and private window in the other browsers such as Firefox and Safari don’t necessarily hide everything.
While it is true that your browsing history, cache, and information you submit on the various forums do get secure and protected, still your internet service provider, websites, and even the search engine itself can see what you are doing on the internet.
Google Search Engine
While Google is indeed your best friend, it is also secretly keeping track of all of your searches.
That is why we recommend that you start using an alternative to the Google search engine. For example, StartPage is a Netherland-based search engine that uses the same algorithm and technology used by Google but ensures that your internet data isn’t stored, tracked, or sold to anyone.
Another good option is DuckDuckGo. Unfortunately, this search engine also doesn’t track the way Google does. So you will not be seeing advertisements based on your previous searches. You will see very few ads.
These search engines come with a browser extension that makes your life and searches private and easy.
Trashing Your Browsing History
Maybe your online searches are something you do not feel proud of and feel a little embarrassed about. So you’d want to ensure that it is regularly deleted off the internet.
Every browser has different steps to clear its browsing history. However, you can reach out to the following guidelines to ensure that your browsing history is completely cleared.
Virtual Private Network
A virtual private network or a VPN uses military-grade AES-256-Bit encryption to create a secure tunnel between your device and the internet.
When connected with a virtual private network server, your actual IP address, location, and internet data are protected by the VPN server IP address and location.
Neither your internet service provider, hackers, nor any other government agencies will be able to track your location, identity, search history, and internet traffic after connecting to a virtual private network.
Many top-tier VPN providers also offer direct browser extensions that you can install on Chrome, Firefox, and Edge browser. However, these extensions will only secure your online searches and internet activity of that particular browser.
With all the security and privacy options available online, virtual private networks are still one of the most reliable, best, and efficient solutions to obtain ultimate online search privacy.
Privacy Focused Browser
Our last method to make your online searches private involves using a Tor browser. While it is true that it is widely used to access the dark corners of the internet (Dark Web), that doesn’t necessarily mean this technology itself is evil.
Tor browser wipes off your browsing history and online search history after every session. Also, it is a handy tool for bypassing various geo-restrictions. It also encrypts your internet traffic so that no one can access it and abuse it in any way.
It has indeed become a lot difficult to hold onto your privacy, but there are still a few steps that you can take to make sure that important and sensitive information is kept away from prying eyes.
