Apologies if this is a stupid question, but I want to understand. I have Proton VPN plus, and I’m in the process of removing my Google accounts from my computer—it will take a bit of time. But I’m wondering: if the use of the VPN means that Google search engine isn’t able to know it’s me running certain searches (and thus continue to compile information about me), is there a point switching to a private search engine? Is everything pointless until my Google account is totally removed from my computer?
A VPN does not help you a lot in regards of privacy when it comes to this topic. There is much more Google can use to track you. Just read about tracking, fingerprinting………
The vpn hides your actual ip address. But there are more ways for google to track you. Use a separate browser — where you have never signed in into any Google service (gmail, YouTube etc) — to use google search, after, of course, having changed your ip by connecting to some other vpn server.
Yes, Google will still be able to collect information about you with a VPN enabled. Even if you logout.
By enabling a VPN you’re only remove one of the many things sites can track that can help them identify you. Your IP address.
A VPN is not really a good tool against being tracked by the sites you are visiting. A VPNs purpose is to hide your traffic from outsiders(people that is not you or the sites you are visiting) and to hide your IP-address/where you connect from.
Using a different search engine or using a privacy hardened browser would help you in this scenario.
Thanks for the explanation, that makes a lot of sense! So I need to remove my google account from my computer, delete all cookies (?), and make a different search engine default. Is there additional benefit to adding extra security extensions on my browser?
Thanks for your advice! So i understand that logging out doesn’t help, because my google account is stored in my laptop in some way and it’s always presented to me as an option when logging in to new sites, so I need to remove it some more permanent way. Provided I manage that, do I need both a more private browser AND a different search engine, or do their functions somehow overlap? I was planning on following an online guide to ”hardening” firefox. I’m not yet a fan of DDG (it seems to give me pretty hit and miss search results) so I’m testing out options on that front.
Oh my lord no. Every tracker imaginable gets through Safari regardless of your settings even with 1Blocker and Wipr and Adguard Pro installed. I used a MacBook Pro with Little Snitch for 11 years and you wouldn’t believe the number of trackers that want your data every time you click. I would have to deny 14-15 trackers from Amazon alone on every site I visited.
I use Firefox and was planning on following an online guide to strengthening it’s security/privacy through settings and extensions. I’ve stopped using Amazon about a year ago and plan to permanently delete my account. I understand that many other sites use open source stuff developed by google and Facebook and there’s no way to totally avoid this (bar possibly constantly removing cookies installed by these sites?)
I just want to start taking steps and wonder which are worth it. I still work a job that requires me to have a compatible browser, rely on programs not of my choosing etc
