Beware of Search Engines - they know everything about you

We’ve become so accustomed to having fast information that we often forget the price we pay for it. Search engines, by definition, are algorithm-based software that present findings on the internet based on a user’s inquiry, phrases, and keywords. 

The only problem is that majority of the search engines, including Google, collect personal data from you without your acknowledgment.

Who are the culprits? 

It’s no surprise that Google has almost 70% of the users with Bing at 13.31%, Baidu at 12.53%, and the very negligible 0.05% at AOL. This one-horse race gave Google ultimate domination and control over the market and is effectively saving billions of people's time and effort. 

Before solidifying itself as the kingpin, Google had an early upbringing and caught plenty of people’s attention. Their major milestone was when they acquired YouTube back in 2006 for $1.65 billion. This was just the beginning of the Google ecosystem which millions of people rely on for personal use and business. Google has become so synonymous with the daily lives that we use “Google it” as a term to research or find quick answers. 

If you ever think that your search engine knows you more than your loved ones, it’s not a coincidence. Major search engines including Google, Bing, Baidu, or Yahoo! collect your IP address, search history, and personal information you used to log in to certain websites. Google is infamous for collecting anything you searched for – whether it’s images, websites, blogs, or links. They know what information you clicked, web crawling, and your email. If that’s not scary enough, they also collect phone numbers, home addresses, records of your online purchases, and preferences such as what language you speak and search history for targeted ads. 

Bing, Microsoft’s very own search engine, also shares similarities with Google when collecting user data. It may not be the most popular search engine, but it has its loyal followers. And the downside of using a substandard search engine is that you’re also being tracked and having your data collected. Like Google, Bing collects IP addresses, search inquiries, location, and everything else in between. 

Yahoo! had big promises but wasn’t able to compete with the giants in today's market. However, they’re still around to this day and it’s not any better than their limited users also are victims of data collecting. They've fallen from grace since their conception and were a reliable search engine during their golden years. Yahoo! also was subjected to two controversial hacks which drove the final nail to their coffin.  Don’t think the rest are out of the picture such as AOL, Ask.com, and Lycos - they very much practice data collecting freely to improve their services. 

Search engines can also see you in the dark. Going incognito mode only hides the searches from your browser but not from your ISP and websites. The illusion of free knowledge in a search box is presented to us. But we don’t see the invisible hose siphoning the data we innocently and unknowingly give. If you’re not paying for the product, then you are the product. 

Search Engines that don’t collect data

Yes, they exist. DuckDuckGo is the leading search engine that’s known for not keeping logs on its users and selling data to 3rd parties. If search engines make money through targeted ads, then how does a search engine like DuckDuckGo generate revenue without acquiring your information? They make their money from private ads instead of targeted ads. Say you’re browsing for gym equipment on the search page. You’ll find ads related to the search page you clicked rather than ads targeting you based on an aggregated graph of your data. If you then decide to search for shoes, then you’ll have ads showing you shoes and nothing else. The search engine doesn’t keep logs of who you are and don’t sell any information about you. It, instead, shows you ads on search pages you’re visiting and will forget about you as soon as you exit. 

Other search engines such as Oscobo, SearchEncrypt, and Startpage also do not practice data collecting like their counterpart DuckDuckGo. 

What you can do 

It’s not easy to escape the all-seeing eye of Google especially when convenience is served in a silver palter. To make your search engine user experience safer and more private, you have to visit the browser preferences or settings, opt-out of any tracking cookies, and make sure that you don’t save your settings in any browser and website. 

It helps to create a dummy account to do high-risk browsing without adding any personal information or linking or associating it with your personal email. A Gmail account is enough to present a lot of data to Google. 

Another great option is to install a VPN. A VPN is a virtual private network that creates an encrypted tunnel between you and the internet. It reroutes your network through the virtual tunnel where it’s encrypted instead of your ISP knowing who you are. SwoshsVPN is a great option to browse online with extra features to ensure privacy and online safety. 

The best way to remain anonymous and private online is a combination of everything including using search engines like DuckDuckGo.