A Baby Step

Some time ago, I loaded a Firefox extension called TrackMeNot and then forgot about it.

Today, I noticed a series of officious-looking, mystery phrases appearing in the lower right corner of my browser. Excerpt from today's batch:

Transform ation Commission Report
pages from this location
wall street journal
independent record shop specializing
MANAGERIAL BARGAINING POWER
winning kentucky powerball numbers
Interactive Measurement Conversion
MasterCard Worldwide manages
HONORABLE CHIEF JUSTICE
Save Your Time
down arrow keys

So I reviewed what the hell that was all about, and the Internet paranoiac in me was delighted anew.

TMN sends random phrases to search engines from your computer, masking whatever real searches you're doing in a white noise of plausible nonsense. Like falling snow covering your tracks, Google can't follow what I'm looking for from minute to minute.

Of course, Google has unhindered access to everything about my BLOG. But I'll take the baby steps toward reclaiming privacy.