Research without
Tarja Moles explains how to research online without worrying about privacy issues
We tend to view Google as a search engine and tech giant, but it is, in actual fact, an advertising company that has the world’s best technology to advertise anything and everything – after all, it knows us very intimately. And why wouldn’t it? We ask its search engine questions we would be too embarrassed to ask anyone else. And we use its products and services, and consent to it collecting and sharing our data. If you’re worried about your privacy, but want to continue using the internet for research purposes (and otherwise), there are ways in which you can minimise the intrusion. Here are some steps you can take:
Operating systems
If you’re using Chromebook and Chrome OS, change to another operating system. Microsoft Windows and Mac OS are the most popular ones, but they also collect user data. Linux (www.linux.org), a free open-source operating system, and its Ubuntu version in particular, are generally considered the best option. This said, please DO NOT start changing your operating system if you don’t know what you’re doing! This is a job that requires expert advice.