So you can surf the internet anonymously

Over 90 percent of all searches end up on Google. The company is eagerly collecting data. But for anyone who doesn’t feel like tracking, we have a few tips for surfing anonymously.

Search engines are one of the applications on the Internet that people use the most. Over 90 percent all inquiries are made via Google. The search engine regularly collects user data in order to use it for advertising purposes.

Tracking: Cookies and pixels collect your data during web searches

In particular, websites that users visit, links they click, purchases they make and their interactions with social media provide interesting information for companies, organizations and governments. They use them to personalize advertising and improve products and services, among other things.

Data tracking is often done using technologies such as cookies, pixels, tags, scripts and other mechanisms. In terms of user privacy and security, however, these practices have been the subject of criticism for some time.

So you can surf the internet anonymously

However, there are various ways of bypassing data tracking on the Internet and surfing anonymously. We have some tips ready for you.

Alternatives to Google to surf anonymously

To enable tracking evade, however, users have the option of using alternatives to Google. For example Startpage, Duckduckgo or Qwant. Anyone surfing on these pages should not be tracked – at least that is the promise of the operators.

Also, these websites offer anonymous search results and reduce the likelihood of searches being tracked.

meta search engines

Another alternative to Google are the so-called meta search engines. They bundle all hits from different search providers and show you where they found the results.

One example is the provider MetaGer from Germany. However, the non-profit association also uses well-known search engines such as Bing, Yandex and Yahoo. Another Google alternative is Etools.ch. The tool from Switzerland searches 15 search engines at the same time in order to provide maximum data protection and the best possible search results.

A third option is searx.info. With this meta search engine, you can decide for yourself how many websites you want to tap.

Change settings and use extensions

If you want to use Google but at least want to limit tracking, you can also change your search engine settings. For example, you can turn off the Web & App Activity feature.

For example, you can prevent searches and page history from being stored in the Google account. What works even better: Sign out of your Google account before browsing.

Use AI search

To surf anonymously, you can also use artificial intelligence to search for information – for example with ChatGPT. Bing and the start-up Neeva have already integrated the AI ​​language model into their search engine offering.

The Neeva offer searches websites by voice command and then creates text documents of different lengths. The service works without tracking and is also ad-free. However, users have to take out a subscription and pay about five euros per month.

However, it is important to note that while AIs can be a useful tool when searching online, it is important for users to double-check the search results for accuracy.

Ad and tracker blocker

Some web browsers offer you to protect your privacy with extensions. For example, you can use ad blockers such as uBlock Origin, AdBlock Plus or Privavy Badger. This allows you to block cookies and ads that may collect information about your online behavior.

Tracker blockers like Disconnect Ghostery can also block tracking on websites. They identify scripts and prevent access to your data.

Surf the web anonymously with VPN services

You can also use a virtual private network (VPN) to surf the Internet anonymously. This allows you to hide your IP address and encrypt your internet traffic. Popular providers include NordVPN, ExpressVPN and CyberGhost.

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