Protecting your personal information today is more crucial than ever; as the pandemic stirred about a rash of violent crimes and more fraud (stealing identities, credit and cash) than in previous years. Social media accounts also take your information and use the cookies to target your personal interests; often giving way to third parties… hence the advertisements one might see. Most people are online whether it’s for personal or work, willingly or not… protecting your identity and information securely is a priority.
Every time a search is done using Google, not only do they know your IP Address and location, they collect so much personal data on you it’s frightening; they track your cookies on all of your devices. While google ranks among the top when it comes to search engines, keep in mind they are collecting everything you can imagine from what kind of food you prefer, to who you talk with, what your likes and dislikes are and more! Maybe you have an Alexa or Voice assisted smart speakers in your office or home; YES they are listening. Between Amazon and Google having patent applications with these devices, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that they will know everything about you, right down to your bathroom habits. Heck, Google even knows when and if you’re thinking about a vacation. It’s somewhat amusing, but not safe when it comes to your privacy.
Surfing the web can often lead to a variety of problems, as there’s a lot of bad stuff going on; URL links that look so real but are not, and, or people posing as someone they are NOT, and hackers just waiting for you to make ONE mistake. The cookies on your computer are targeted the minute you go to search something or to log in somewhere such as an email, so I’ll give a few search engines which DO NOT collect your information in order to “enhance” your experience.
Beginning with https://swisscows.com/en/about , it is 100% anonymous when it comes to data and personal information; it does NOT store your info like Google does. Also, Swiss Cows is more ‘family friendly’ oriented, meaning that they omit very graphic material from being viewed, along with any vulgar language. They instill positivity online by promoting education and moral values. I found this site interesting and refreshing. A similar site is https://www.mojeek.com/about/ . It prides itself with having ‘unbiased’ articles and opinions, and ensuring the safety of your privacy while being online. This company’s mission is to build the best alternative search engine in the world; it’s worth reading about.
Once you get started using these other search engines, you just may make a change in the way you surf. I know I’ll be giving it some more time. There are some more of these ‘private’ friendly user engines, so once it sparks your interest here’s a couple worth the mention; https://metager.org/, https://www.qwant.com/ . These search engines are all about privacy which clearly has been problematic; as many large companies also have experienced data breaches that usually affect millions of people; pertinent personal information out there for the taking (usually on the dark web), it’s terrible. I’ll leave you with one last valuable link https://restoreprivacy.com/private-search-engine/ . It is so important today that we all protect our personal information; identity theft is big business out there today. Protect yourself and your loved ones, and let’s begin using sites that help us do just that. Happy surfing and stay safe!
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