untangling_the_web

DID: 4046925
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where you are registered or logged in, e.g., if you use personalized Google, AOL,
Yahoo, Live, etc. If you do, you can be sure there is a record of that search. If you
want to run these types of searches, the best thing to do is to block cookies for that
search session, then clean out your browser's cache. That way, your search will not
be stored anywhere and there will be no "cookie trail" at any site.
A number of articles recently have touted IxQuick, a metasearch engine, as an
alternative search engine because IxQuick does not keep records of searchers' IP
addresses. According to the company, "We have a program running which opens
the log files and deletes the user IP addresses and overwrites them...[and] the
company removes the unique ID from Ixquick.com's cookies.,,218 Of course, you still
must place your trust in this Amsterdam-based company not to change their policy
or make a mistake. Another option to consider is Clusty, a superb search service
based on Vivisimo's technology. Clusty says, "We at Clusty don't track you. Our
toolbar doesn't track you. We don't want to know your email address."
IxQuick
Clusty
http://ixquick.com/
http://clusty.com/
Finally, I also want to mention an article that includes more drastic measures one
can take to keep searches private. The focus of the article is Google, but many of
the suggestions work with other search engines. I am not recommending or
endorsing any of the software mentioned in the article, but I thought you should
know of other options.
Amit Agarwal
"How to Stop Google from Recording Your Search Habits"
Digital Inspiration, 13 August 2006,
http://labnol.blogspot.com/2006/08/how-to-stop-google-from-recording-your.html
Think Twice Before Registering at Search Sites
During the summer of 2005 Google became upset over an article 219 in CNET News
demonstrating how much information the author could find about Google CEO Eric
Schmidt using-you guessed it-Google. All the information the CNET reporter
218 Declan McCullagh, "FAQ: Protecting Yourself from Search Engines," CNET News, 9 August 2006,
(14 November 2006).
219 Elinor Mills, "Google Balances Privacy, Reach," CNET News, 14 July 2005,
(14
November 2006).
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