Google Chrome knows too much about you: how to configure the browser so that it does not receive unnecessary information

Google Chrome's default settings (surprise) are far from ideal for privacy conscious people. And if you're one of them but aren't ready to switch browsers, there are a few other easy ways to reduce Google tracking in Chrome, assures Lifehacker.

Sign out of your Google account

When you sign in to Chrome, you're giving Google access to far more data than is necessary. Signing into Chrome allows Google to use great features like syncing your bookmarks and history across devices. So you can definitely stay on Chrome if that's important to you. But if you're okay with losing sync access, you should consider signing out of your Google account completely in Chrome.

To do this, click on the three-dot menu in the top right corner of Chrome and select Settings. Then select the tab Chrome and the You tab left. Click down arrow next to your Google account name and select Sign out.

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While you're at it, you can also choose Sync and Google services under your Google account and disable the feature Allow Chrome sign-in. This will allow you to sign in to Google sites without signing into Chrome.

Change your default search engine to DuckDuckGo

The next step is to reduce your addiction from Google by switching to a search engine that respects your privacy. The answer is obvious: DuckDuckGo. You can change this by going to Chrome settings > Search engines and choosing DuckDuckGo in the dropdown menu next to Search engine used in the address bar.

If DuckDuckGo doesn't give you the results you want, you can add!g to your search query. This will return the same result on Google. You can use this shortcut to avoid manually switching between these two search engines.

Switch to a more secure password manager

Many people still use Google Chrome to store all their passwords, and while it might be a bit more safethan using weak passwords or using the same password all over the internet, this is no substitute for a good password manager. You should use a password manager such as BitWarden or 1Password. The second one offers easy ways to import all the passwords stored in your browser. Not only is switching to a password manager a security best practice, it also protects more of your data from the clutches of Google.

View Chrome security settings

Chrome sends a lot of data to Google servers. This can be useful for people with very limited knowledge of basic Internet security practices. But for most people, this is another data point that you may not want to submit to Google.

You can change this by selecting Chrome settings > Security and privacy > Security and choosing standard protection. This will keep you safe without sending your browsing data to Google.

On the same settings page, in the section Advanced you must enable Always use secure connections. This will always load the more secure HTTPS versions of your favorite websites and warn you when a site doesn't support them.

Check which websites can access your location, camera and microphone

You can take a quick look at Chrome's privacy settings to prevent access to your microphone, camera, location, and even notifications. This will improve your privacy and reduce irritation at the same time.

Go to Chrome settings > Security and privacy > Site settings В section Permissions you must review each setting and disable access where necessary. For example, in the section Lease you can choose Don't allow sites to see your location to reduce annoying pop-ups and improve your online privacy.

Periodically delete your browsing history and site data

You should probably avoid storing your browsing history and other website data for too long, and you can delete them periodically by selecting Chrome settings > Security and privacy > Clear browsing data... Select a tab Advanced and change the time range to All time. you can click Clear dateto remove everything, or manually uncheck individual categories to remove some (but not all) of the data.

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Go to Chrome settings > Security and privacy > Site settings Here you can choose Block third-party cookies, which will reduce tracking when using Google Chrome. You can also choose Block all cookies, but it may break some websites. The default selection only blocks third-party cookies in incognito mode, which is far from ideal for your privacy.

You can also disable page preloading for faster browsing and searchingto prevent Chrome from preloading pages it thinks you might visit. This may increase the loading time of some pages, but it will also save bandwidth.

Change your autocomplete settings

Google collects some data about what you enter in Chrome. If you want to reduce it go to Chrome settings > You and Google > Sync and Google services. Here you can disable the following options: Autocomplete searches and URLs, Help improve Chrome's features and performance, Make searches and browsing better и Enhanced spell check.

Use the best extensions to protect your privacy

There are some good extensions that help protect your online privacy by making it harder for ad companies to track you online. It's important to note that you shouldn't use dozens of privacy extensions because many of their features will overlap. The best combination for most people is to use uBlock Origin to block trackers and NoScript. They will make browsing safer by blocking JavaScript from untrusted domains.

And switch to a more private browser when you need it.

Finally, if you're looking to reduce tracking, the best long-term step is to switch to a different browser. Firefox straddles the line between privacy, performance, and customizability thanks to extensions. Although some websites work best in Chromium-based browsers, so you might want to try the browser Brave.