How to keep your online searches private on Google, Maps and YouTube

tech.hindustantimes.com:

We have all been through a situation where we have searched for something really private, silly or even embarrassing online that we would never want anyone else to find out. On a larger view, this is not only a question of keeping your searches accessible only to you, but also of privacy, data security and even freedom from cybercrimes. This is why there is a need to know about how to keep your privacy intact while searching online, whether it is on Google, Google Maps or YouTube. And if you are looking for the same, then do not worry. We have found the most efficient ways to hide your searches online. Let us take a look.

Google searches are an important part of everyone's daily life. Whether it is to search for nearby restaurants, the meaning of a word or to look for a particular information, we all use it a lot. However, sometimes, you might want to look up a search query that is of sensitive or private nature that you do not want anyone to keep records of.

There are a few ways to do it.

1. One of the best ways to keep your online search result private is to use Incognito Mode. Google does not save browsing history, cookies, site data, or information you enter in forms in this mode.

2. Other similar solutions include moving away from Google and using DuckDuckGo or Startpage.com. These search engines do not track your activity and will never send you targeted ads based on your search history.

3. If you have already searched for something, it may appear in the search history. On the browser, you can go to Settings > Privacy > Clear browsing data to delete such information. On your smartphone, if you use the Google search widget, you can long press on a searched item and delete them separately.

You can use the same process for