How you can REALLY hide your web searches from Google snoopers

By James On Oct 19, 2022

Recently revealed internal emails from Google engineers mocking the false promises of the search engine’s incognito mode have left many wondering how exactly they can search the web undetected.

In a series of emails cited in a California lawsuit on behalf of one million users, in 2018 employees made fun of the incognito feature’s deceptive ads that supposedly allow users to “browse privately” and hide search histories.

The lawsuit alleges that the private browsing option’s logo — a sketch of a mystery man wearing glasses and a detective hat — is misleading because Google itself can still view consumer data.

While Google employees have unknowingly revealed that incognito mode isn’t all that’s implied, an almost foolproof way to browse the web anonymously is to search a web browser called TOR – first developed by the US Navy – while working within a VPN (virtual private network) that hides your computer’s identity from ISPs.

Recently revealed internal emails from Google engineers poking fun at the false promises of the search engine’s incognito mode have left many wondering how exactly they can search the web undetected.

A Google engineer compared incognito mode to a Homer Simpson meme wearing a mustache, suit and top hat, and joked that Homer’s disguise “accurately reflected the level of privacy.” [Incognito mode] offers’

According to technical experts at digital trends, the best way to hide your identity and prevent your online data from being collected and sold is to download a VPN onto your computer.

Simply search for something like ‘download VPN’ in your web browser and select a paid or free product – Nord and ExpressVPN offer good paid options, and Proton VPN is a good free option – and download them to your computer.

A VPN hides your IP address (basically a personal Internet identification number) from Internet service providers like Verizon or Comcast to prevent them from seeing what you do online.

While surfing the web with a VPN on your computer is nearly foolproof, you need to take a few extra steps to ensure complete anonymity.

First, go to your web browser’s settings and block all cookies (these are stored passwords, usernames, etc., which can be used to track where you’ve been online, even in a VPN – think of it as leaving footprints in the snow while you are wearing a mask over your face).

Second, make sure you don’t sign into browser accounts like a Google account because that opens a direct line for whatever service you sign in to track you.

TOR was developed in the 1990s by US Navy computer scientists who wanted to develop a reliably anonymous way to browse the Internet. Since then, it has been registered as a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving anonymous internet use

A VPN hides your IP address (basically a personal Internet identification number) from Internet service providers like Verizon or Comcast to prevent them from seeing what you do online. RELATED ARTICLES Previous 1 Next Adams Tent City! Google maps creates label for New York… NYC man, 48, dies after being pushed in front of New York subway…

Third, while you’re browsing with your VPN turned on, you’ll be browsing in shameful Incognito mode – since the rest of your bases are covered by the precautions described earlier, Incognito (or whatever is the equivalent of whatever search engine you’re using) will do not track history while online.

Finally, download the web browser TOR – an acronym for “The Onion Router” – which hides your IP address by bouncing your internet through a series of ever-changing and random computers and servers.

While there are almost no absolutely foolproof ways to browse the web completely anonymously, following the above methods should basically keep you invisible.

The lawsuit further cites an email sent to CEO Sundar Pichai last year urging the tech giant to be more private to consumers.

What is TOR? Navy-developed browser that hides search history through an array of sites

Tor – short for The Onion Router – is a seething array of encrypted websites that allow users to surf the everyday Internet in complete anonymity.

It uses numerous layers of security and encryption to make users anonymous online.

Typically, file-sharing and Internet browsing activities can be tracked by law enforcement through each user’s unique IP address which can be traced back to an individual computer.

The Tor network on the Deep Web hides the user’s IP address and activity.

The network has been linked to criminal activities such as drug trafficking and even services to hire hitmen.

Most of the information on the web is buried far away in dynamically generated sites, which cannot be found or seen by traditional search engines – sites or pages don’t exist until they were created as a result of a specific query.

Searching the internet is like dragging a net across the surface of the sea – a lot of information is captured, but a majority is deep and therefore missed.

Lorraine Twohill, Google’s chief of marketing, sent an email to CEO Sundar Pichai last year on International Data Privacy Day, asking the tech giant to become more private, Bloomberg said.

“Make Incognito Mode really private,” Twohill wrote in an email. “We’re limited in how much we can market Incognito because it’s not really private, so it needs some really vague, healing language that’s almost more damaging.”

Twohill’s email and other employee documentation are among court documents set to be reviewed in a courtroom in Oakland, California, on Tuesday.

Google’s incognito mode advertises that other users can’t view browsing history, but doesn’t say the tech giant can’t view data.

“Privacy controls have long been built into our services and we encourage our teams to continually discuss or consider ideas for improving them,” a Google spokesperson said in a statement.

“Incognito mode provides users with a private browsing experience, and we’ve been clear about how it works and what it does, while the plaintiffs in this case purposely mischaracterized our statements.”

But in 2018, Google engineers brutally mocked incognito mode for clearly suggesting users that they were completely anonymous when using it.

“We need to stop calling it incognito and stop using the Spy Guy icon,” an email chain technician said in 2018 after investigating the browser’s lack of security.

Another engineer responded with a meme of Homer Simpson wearing a mustache, suit, and top hat, joking that Homer’s disguise “accurately reflected the level of privacy.” [Incognito mode] provides.’

The judge will decide on Tuesday whether the lawsuit will continue. If found liable, Google could be fined to pay billions to consumers.

U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers will review the case. If found liable, Google could owe millions of consumers up to $1,000 per violation, according to Bloomberg.

Consumers suggest that Google change the language of the private browsing feature to make users aware that the tech giant can still collect their data.