Today is the last day to delete your Google browsing history

Google will change its privacy policy on 1 March. From this date on, Google will be able to combine your information from Google+, Gmail and YouTube.

Before 1 March, the browser history of  Google+, Gmail and YouTube were separated. Criticizers of the new policy argue that this information should stay separated, because  the search history could contain private content. If the information of the three sites will be combined, Google will built a permanent profile of you including your age, gender, religion, health, hobbies and location.

The site’s Mat Honan wrote: ‘It means that things you could do in relative anonymity today, will be explicitly associated with your name, your face, your phone number. 'If you use Google's services, you have to agree to this new privacy policy. It is an explicit reversal of its previous policies.’

If you want to stymie Google from building this permanent profile, you can delete your browsing history. It will limit your information on Google’s services. 

Three simple steps to do it:

1.    Go to the Google homepage and sign into your account. Use the dropdown menu under your name in the upper right-hand corner to access your settings. Click on 'account settings'.

2.    Find the section called 'Services' and you'll see a link to 'View, enable, or disable web history', shown in the red box below. Click on it. 

3.    You can remove all of your search details by clicking on 'Remove Web History', shown in the red box below. Once you have done this your history will remain  disabled until you turn it back on.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2105435/Three-simple-steps-delete-Google-browsing-history--late.html#ixzz1nmS1nTti

Google tracking Safari users without permission

Google and some advertisers found a way to track millions of Safari users without permission. Safari is the standard web browser of Apple on Macs, iPads and iPhones. Google and the advertisers used a special code to see the activities on Safari. 
Normally, Safari will only accept cookies (data packets with information about the users) through websites the users visits themselves. Other cookies, for example the cookies of advertisers, will be blocked. The special code of Google that was placed in different advertisements made it possible to still send the cookies, so the user would be traceable.
The whole tracking system was made to see whether users were logged into the Google-services because of the +1 system. The +1 system is similar to the liking-system of Facebook. Google deactivated the code when The Wall Street Journal contacted them about this issue. Google says that the data is anonymized now. 

How to tell if you are being tracked on Safari?  

Safari users on a mobile device or a computer
1. Click on ‘’Settings’’ icon
2. Click on ‘’Safari’’
3. Scroll down to the bottom of the screen
4. Click on ‘’Advanced’’
5. Click on ‘’Website data’’
You will see a list of all sites that have stored data on your device. A website that you do not know, could be a tracking company. If you see doubleclick.net in the list, you most likely have a tracking tool on your device. 

Safari users on the computer
1. Go to ‘’Preferences’’ and ‘’Privacy’’
2. Click on ‘’Details’’
You will see a screen including all sites that have stored data on your computer. The sites that you do not recognize storing ‘’Cookies’’ or ‘Local Storage’’ could be tracking companies. 

Apple is trying hard to stop the tracking. If you want to take initiatives to block it yourself, you can follow the more complicated instructions here.

Source: http://www.ubergizmo.com/2012/02/google-owns-up-to-tracking-safari-users/

Source: http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2012/02/16/how-to-tell-if-youre-being-tracked-on-safari/

Spykey - An iPhone app to spy on your computer

The SpyKey app is a software application for the iPhone. With this app it is possible to follow everything someone is typing on a computer live. This app can be downloaded for 3,50 euro and the server application has to be installed on the computer. You can watch over your children, but also spy on your partner or colleagues.

Keylogging is a technique that is also used by hackers to steal bank information. Apple gave permission to sell this application.

Source:  http://www.ubergizmo.com/2011/06/spykey/

How to delete what is posted about you online

Have you ever searched for your home phone number on Google and see your name and address show on the results page? Follow the instructions in the video to have your phone number removed from the Google phone book.

How to delete other personal online information? First of all, you have to know what is posted about you online. You can simply do this by searching your name in the Google search engine.  The results might show information you wish they were not published. How to remove this information from the internet? Here are a few steps:

1.       Find the webmaster of the site (bottom of the webpage)

2.       Send him/her an e-mail with the request to remove your information

If the content is removed from the website, it will not appear in the search results anymore. It might take a few weeks for search engines to change the results.

For more sensitive information, such as credit card- or bank account numbers, you can directly contact the search engine directly.  They will contact the site hosting company and request the page to be taken down from the web.

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vFr3dt8ZHM&feature=relmfu

‘’Friendio’’ the new Facebook?

Since Facebook introduced Timeline, there were some privacy changes for the users. These changes caused complaints that Facebook was asking users to share too much information. For example, when someone changes to the new Timeline layout, old posts and tagged pictures that were set ‘’private’’ and ‘’friends only’’ will be visible to the public. There are also positive reactions on Timeline, but many Facebook users lost their trust in this social network site. 

If you are concerned about the privacy settings, you can read the top 5 privacy tips for the Timeline  here.

As a reaction to the Timeline of Facebook, Friendio came in the picture. Friendio is just like Facebook, but they promise more privacy and control. The new social network site has the same functions as Facebook. They have similar tabs and capabilities for friend requests, messages and notifications. For more information about Friendio click here.


So, will Friendio be the new Facebook, or are people so addicted and loyal to Facebook that they will not leave this page?