Whether with Gmail, Docs, Maps, Calendar, Analytics, YouTube or its eponymous search engine, Google is always busy trying to gather as much information about its users as possible so it can craft personalised advertising.
To put a lid on that gathering frenzy, install the Firefox add-on GoogleSharing. The expansion activates a proxy server between the user and Google, diverting search requests and, thereby, creating anonymity.
When setting up a Google account, it's standard to activate something called a web history. That means all search requests made while one is logged on are saved in a file.
That makes turning off the history a good idea. It also means you might not want to regularly be logged in with your Google account. Turning to Google Talk, the company's instant messenger service, the magazine recommends setting it so that individual conversations are no longer saved. Picking more secure secrecy options will prevent conversation partners from linking chats with your account.
It's also best to deactivate all functions in Google's Toolbar that automatically link internet addresses or information about websites visited with a person's account.
Other experts point to possible data security problems in other Google services, assuming they are used with a general Google account. Those include the mobile telephone location finder Latitude, the online payment system Checkout, which can be used in Android Market, or Health, a storage platform for electronic patient files.
To put a lid on that gathering frenzy, install the Firefox add-on GoogleSharing. The expansion activates a proxy server between the user and Google, diverting search requests and, thereby, creating anonymity.
When setting up a Google account, it's standard to activate something called a web history. That means all search requests made while one is logged on are saved in a file.
That makes turning off the history a good idea. It also means you might not want to regularly be logged in with your Google account. Turning to Google Talk, the company's instant messenger service, the magazine recommends setting it so that individual conversations are no longer saved. Picking more secure secrecy options will prevent conversation partners from linking chats with your account.
It's also best to deactivate all functions in Google's Toolbar that automatically link internet addresses or information about websites visited with a person's account.
Other experts point to possible data security problems in other Google services, assuming they are used with a general Google account. Those include the mobile telephone location finder Latitude, the online payment system Checkout, which can be used in Android Market, or Health, a storage platform for electronic patient files.
No comments:
Post a Comment