What Search Provider do you use? (Poll)

esuhl

This is an example of the fears that some people have about privacy:

https://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/09/technology/09aol.html?ei=5090&en=f6f61949c6da4d38&ex=1312776000&adxnnl=1&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss&adxnnlx=1155096385-A78mK3ngRfE6mUfYTIcDcA

Ectophile

I use Google, but block all cookies from them, and their advertising subsidiary Doubleclick.

bluesnake

guys, search for 'tor browser bundle'. Probably not the best product for p2p or downloads, but protecst you from your isp collecting logs, and web pages from finding out whom you are and where you are from, and is FREE.

Wig

Use Google, have no burning issues with privacy, but I would prefer to be 100% private if that was easily attainable. I also use gmail.

bluesnake

Wig wrote: »

Use Google, have no burning issues with privacy, but I would prefer to be 100% private if that was easily attainable. I also use gmail.

try the tor browser bundle. it is 3 apps bundled together and runs similar to a portable apps.

it even speeds up my web browsing when my isp throttles the communal pipe.

can be used in conjunction with other browsers.

One word or warning: using it to pay via paypal may disable the account, and will take 5 mins for you to select the lost paypal login and p/w page to get the account running again.

spud17

Yandex.com

Why?

Because they are always visiting/indexing my website, it only seems polite to reciprocate.

Not really, mostly Google, also use GMail and GoogleApps, I'm not really fussed re privacy.
What targeted ads? Firefox/Adblock Plus/NoScript means I don't see much.

esuhl

bluesnake wrote: »

try the tor browser bundle...
it even speeds up my web browsing when my isp throttles the communal pipe.

Tor speeds up your web browsing?! What on earth is your ISP doing to slow down web browsing so much?! Tor can be pretty slow, so I'd change ISP immediately if their service was that poor!

bluesnake wrote: »

One word or warning: using it to pay via paypal may disable the account, and will take 5 mins for you to select the lost paypal login and p/w page to get the account running again.

Be aware that the Tor exit node will be able to see any information you transmit. You are probably protected to some extent as your transmissions to Paypal will already be encrypted using SSL, but a rogue exit node could easily be set up to collect unencrypted log in details, which could then be used to gain access to your accounts.

Your privacy may be protected using Tor, but as soon as you enter information that can personally identify you, by definition you have, to some extent, compromised your privacy.

Not only that, but if there are many rogue Tor nodes that co-operate with each other, and you happen to be using only those nodes, then your entire communication path is compromised. I understand that this has been done, but I don't know how widespread the problem is.

Tor is a great tool, but like anything on the Internet, there are ways it's protection can be circumvented.

If you're using it for web searches and aren't entering valuable data (credit card numbers, log in details, etc.) then, of course, it would be extremely unlikely that anyone would go to the effort of linking trivial search terms to you. Start doing your online banking via Tor, and you become a more attractive target.

Skymist

I had a look at IxQuick, as it's recommended here, which looks good to me, but on any search page on IxQuick...ie. one that you entered a search on, they introduce their sister site, which looks even better:-

https://startpage.com/

From https://startpage.com/uk/what-makes-startpage-special.html

What Makes Startpage Special
Startpage search engine protects your Privacy!

Startpage does NOT record your IP address!
Nor do we share your personal information with any third party. Read more on our privacy position or go directly to Startpage's Privacy Policy.
Startpage offers you Web search results from Google - the world's most popular search engine

When you search with Startpage the Web results are generated by Google. This offers you the search results and search features you may have grown accustomed to.
A Unique Combination

On Startpage the privacy of Ixquick is combined with the Web search results from Google. The combination of these two features is what makes Startpage so special.
You can continue using the Web results from the world's most popular search engine but now under the privacy protection of Ixquick, the world's most private search engine.

I feel much happier and more comfortable using this than Google itself, yet it still has the feel/layout that I've grown accustomed to with Google.

S

bluesnake

esuhl wrote: »

Tor speeds up your web browsing?! What on earth is your ISP doing to slow down web browsing so much?! Tor can be pretty slow, so I'd change ISP immediately if their service was that poor!"

Yes, last weekend and the week before was not good for me on the BE network, as it took ages for pages to fill the screen. They must have been trying some new filtering.

esuhl wrote: »

Be aware that the Tor exit node will be able to see any information you transmit. You are probably protected to some extent as your transmissions to Paypal will already be encrypted using SSL, but a rogue exit node could easily be set up to collect unencrypted log in details, which could then be used to gain access to your accounts.

Your privacy may be protected using Tor, but as soon as you enter information that can personally identify you, by definition you have, to some extent, compromised your privacy.

Not only that, but if there are many rogue Tor nodes that co-operate with each other, and you happen to be using only those nodes, then your entire communication path is compromised. I understand that this has been done, but I don't know how widespread the problem is.

I know this can be done, but did not think there was a big issue, as wrongly or rightly under the impression it was more a theoretical snoop, than one done on a large scale?

A._Badger

Personally, I use Bing. It isn't as good as Google but (and I never thought I'd write these words) I trust MS a damn site more than Google, whose attitude to privacy is lamentable.

If other people don't care, that's up to them. I do, and Google is off my shopping list for all its services.