I think it’s safe to say that by now, the majority of us are using Google. Many people may be unaware, however, that Google puts a cookie on every computer that performs a search. This cookie tracks some of your surfing habits, and essentially logs your entire search history. Some may not see this as an immediate threat, as the cookie doesn’t identify a user by name. However, you’d be surprised by how much you can tell about someone just by analyzing their web searches (and other browsing habits) over the course of even a few weeks. This Google cookie, or ‘gookie’, doesn’t expire until January 17 of 2038. Google has recently stated that they have no intentions of deleting these search histories. Google co-founder Larry Page tries to keep things optimistic:
“On the more exciting front, you can imagine your brain being augmented by Google. For example you think about something and your cell phone could whisper the answer into your ear.”
Come on Larry, that’s just a little bit creepy, don’t you think? Anyway, if you’d like to “fight back”, so to speak, against the evil Gookie army, you can use an anonymous proxy - You could use one of the thousands already available on the web, or you could setup your own. Alternatively, you could follow this handy little guide, which basically shows you how to set your browser to do three things: Clear all long-lasting cookies, not keep cookies between restarts, and divert all google requests out through an anonymous proxy. Now get busy!
For the record, I have nothing against Google. It’s worth mentioning that, on occasion, they will make a move that would seem to indicate that they’re taking steps in the right direction. But then you read something like this. Don’t be evil, Google - Take your own advice, eh?
Share This
