Internet Browsing and Your Privacy
Which internet browsers and search engines offer the most privacy when it comes to your personal data? Let’s take a look at some popular browsers and search engines and how they allow you to protect your personal data while browsing the world wide web.
Google Search: “You’re in control of what information you share with Google when you search,” according to Google Search Help. When browsing, you can use Google’s Incognito feature in Chrome or Safari and change your activity settings in your Google account to control how your personal data is stored and used. Find more information at https://support.google.com/websearch.
GoGoDuck: “We don’t store your personal info. We don’t follow you around with ads. We don’t track you. Ever,” claims GoGoDuck. This internet privacy company empowers consumers to search the internet without having their activity tracked or data stored through their website at https://www.gogoduck.com. Consumers can also add this search engine as a Safari desktop extension or use the application available on the App Store or Google Play Store.
Safari: According to https://www.wired.co.uk, “Safari uses Google as default, but you can easily switch.” On your Apple device, you can change your default search engine and browser. Visit https://www.support.apple.com for directions on how to change your browser and search engine settings to your personal preference.
Microsoft Edge: This new browser touts to be ideal for online shopping and allows consumers to customize which trackers to block. The browser offers three levels of tracking prevention: Basic (allows most trackers across websites), Balanced (blocks known harmful trackers and trackers from sites you have not visited), and Strict (block a majority of trackers [not all] from all sites, but may prevent parts of some websites you visit from functioning properly). For more information please visit https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us.
These are only a few options for internet browsing. Other sites browsers and search engines available are:
