Search Google anonymously while staying logged in to your account in Firefox

[Reefa]

One of the things that keeps some users from using Google Search is the certainty that everything that is done on the site is being logged and analyzed by Google.

While it is possible to overcome this, for instance by launching searches only in the browser's private browsing mode, or using search engines such as Startpage that use Google search results but do not track you, you may prefer an automated solution that just works in the background without you doing anything.

You could try and use Google while you are not signed in to your Google Account, but that too means some form of tracking as there are other means besides tracking a user by account. Plus, it means that you cannot use other Google Services such as Gmail properly without signing in first again.

Another option would be to use two different web browsers, one for Google searches, the other for all other activities.

The new Firefox add-on Searchonymous introduces a solution that resolves this issue. It lets you search on Google without being seen as signed in by Google.

Even better, the search preferences are retained so that all custom preferences are still applied to the searches.

You can switch to other Google services and products, and will notice that you are recognized as signed in so that you do not have to sign in manually anymore.

In addition to all that, it removes advertisement and clutter from Google Search so that you can focus just on the results without being distracted by those.

The author of the extension explains how this is handled in detail.

"Searchonymous helps to prevent your Google searches from tracking by Google or the NSA. When installed no tracking cookies are sent to Google while searching. This is done by blocking certain Google cookies (such as the PREF-ID) or generate randomized ones (which are worthless for tracking). Other cookies that just contain your search preferences will be allowed, so your preferences are preserved. You will stay logged in on other Google services such as Youtube or GMail. It also removes ads and clutter from the Google main page that is normally shown when cookies are disabled."

Source

[ben01]

The problem is that they are still tracking you with your IP. And they do log every activity. They have so much datas and computing power that they can profile you easily even if not logged.

[anuseems]

only way to beat google is to stop using it.. Thanks for sharing the info thou

[derty2]

Google is just a small part of this privacy puzzle........

The biggest problem of all is that the handful of people who completely understand the workings of the web technologies that you use HAVE NO INTEREST in sharing every single piece of the puzzle with you....

If you are connected to the internet then you are traceable and can be profiled and tracked...full stop. There is no point wasting time knowing whether Google, CIA, NSA, FBI can snoop on you....THEY CAN IF THEY REALLY WANT TO, but you me and most people are just not important enough for them to care about.

The best you can do is to "poison" their profiling database. You do this by adding "noise" to your web presence, smudging your long-term online fingerprint.

To do this, you must "pollute" every piece of information which can be passed from "your computer" to "their computer".

FYI, When you visit another site in your web browser, the other site GETS ALL THIS INFO FROM YOU (GO HERE): http://browserspy.dk/browser.php

So........to pollute your web fingerprint, your browser needs to randomize the values of all those config keys at regular intervals...BUT GUESS WHAT LADIES AND GENTLEMEN...THERE IS NO FIREFOX ADDON MADE FOR DOING THIS !!!! ......INTERESTING !!!! ......like I said before, people who completely understand the workings of the web technologies that you use HAVE NO INTEREST in sharing every single piece of the puzzle with you !!!!

So........to pollute Google's data-profiling of you....you inject a lot of "noise" (masses of random text) into your web queries.

You can do this in Firefox by using the addon "TrackMeNot" (Go here): http://www.cs.nyu.edu/trackmenot/index.html