You probably know if you use Google's search engine when you browse the net, Google maintains a record of where you've been. Although this doesn't particularly bother me, some people prefer more privacy. If you'd prefer more privacy when you browse, I just became aware of something you might try: StartPage by ixquick. Take a look here. And here is a video that explains more about how it works. Your searches go through StartPages' server, which strips out your IP address and any information about you, before it sends your request on to Google. It acts as an intermediary between you and Google.

Now, using StartPage will slow your search down a bit, but if you have a high-speed internet connection, it may not make much difference. It also looks like one can set up https (a secure, encrypted connection) for your searches. This may be helpful, say, when you're on public wifi and aren't using a VPN. I'm just in the process of trying it out, just to see what I think about it, and how it works.

If you like to experiment a bit, and do try StartPage.com, let me know what you think about it.

Jim Hamm