To enable the new feature, users need to use one of the latest Chrome Canary or Chromium builds. The feature is available under about:flags, a configuration page for experimental or new features.

You need to scroll down to the very bottom of the page to find the Multiple Profiles entry.

It reads:

Associates every browser window with a profile, and adds a profile switcher in the upper right corner. Every profile has its own bookmarks, extensions, apps, etc.

It basically means that you can now make use of multiple profiles in Chrome, each with its own set of custom settings and preferences.

A click on Enable activates the new feature, and you see a new profile selector and creator at the top right of the browser screen, next to the minimize, maximize and close buttons.

You can create new profiles with a click on the button and the selection of create a new profile. This launches a new Chrome browser window displaying a Google Account login prompt.

For now, each new Chrome profile appears to be linked to a Google account, which is inferior to Firefox’s solution which does not have that requirement. This means that you need to create a new Google account for every browser profile that you want to use in Chrome in case you only have a single account to begin with.

Each account needs to be configured for synchronization. One thing that appears to be missing right now is a profile switcher. The only option available in the menu currently is the option to create a new profile which opens a second window with a Google login.

The profile switcher does not appear to be supporting local profiles. That, plus the complicated way of switching profiles are currently the biggest complaints that I have with the service.

Profile Switcher will soon appear in Dev, Beta and Stable versions of the Chrome browser.

The first step after starting the program is to create a new profile, Each profile consists of basic information plus application, network, system, browser and desktop specific configurations which can but do not have to be different from the current settings.

Here are the configuration settings that can be edited in the program:

Network

• Network connections TCP/IP settings (IP address, mask, gateway, DNS server, MAC), state of network connection
• Computer identification computer name, domain or workgroup membership
• Mapped Network Drives map, unmap network drives
• Shared resources share, unshare local resources
• Hosts file
• Routing table

System

• Sound sound volume, sound theme
• Printer set default printer
• Services start, stop, restart system services

Internet Browser

• Internet Explorer network connection settings, Home Page
• Firefox network connection settings, Home Page
• Opera network connection settings, Home Page
• Chrome network connection settings, Home Page

Desktop

• Display screen dimensions, color depth

Applications

• Default applications default Internet Browser, E-Mail client
• Launch applications launch selected applications after applying profile

Every computer configuration profile will be displayed in the application’s main interface where it can be selected and activated. The program can be very helpful to users who work in different computer environments as it takes less than a minute to activate a new profile that has been configured for a specific work environment.

Quick Config is provided as a portable version and an installer. The software is compatible with most versions of the Microsoft Windows operating system including Windows 7. It can be downloaded from the developer’s website over at Intelloware.

Then, there’s Pipl. The site is a search engine. Nothing different about that, you say. Except that you can use the site to search for people. It’s as easy as typing in a first and last name and basic info like state and country of residence. After that, sit back and wait for the results.

The creepy part is that you will actually find very personal information showing up. Depending on the kind of trail your target has left, you can get a list of addresses, telephone numbers, etc. You even come across direct links to profiles on the various social networking sites.

Pipl gathers all the information using sources from the ‘deep web’, which is essentially those parts of the web where web-crawlers from the average search engines like Google and Yahoo do not reach. This includes databases of personal profiles, public records and other people-related documents.

Frankly, I think a site like this is dangerous. Not only can a person be cyber stalked but also he or she can potentially be targeted physically as well. For most folks, Pipl may seem like a joke but there are plenty of unscrupulous individuals just waiting to take advantage of a goldmine like this.

I did not find much information about myself thankfully. But I also do not give out much personal information about myself. Not all people are as cautious though. And in the case of public records, you do not have much choice over what gets displayed.

How much information did you find out about yourself on Pipl? What do you think of these kinds of sites? What are some of the measures you take to protect your privacy online?