Google Search: about the new try without personalization option
Google is rolling out a new feature on Google Search that is adding an option to display search results without any personalization. The feature, which is available on desktop and mobile devices is shown as a link at the bottom of search results on Google Search.
Google reveals on its search pages that "results are personalized" by default. What that means is that Google uses information that it has about the searcher to display results. Google may use past searches, activity on search results pages, interaction with ads, location, but also other information to personalize results.
Related content
Personalized search results are not limited to users who are signed in to a Google account. Even if you are not signed-in, you may get custom results based on data that Google has about you or your activity.
A click or tap on the "try without personalization" link reloads the results without any of that. In other words: you get information as if Google would know nothing about you. While that does not guarantee that results will be different, it may help Google users who dislike getting their results personalized.
Tip: you may automate this by appending &peek_pws=0 to the Google Search URL. It is probably only a matter of time before extensions are released that automate the process.
Exceptions
Google notes that it may still use the context of the query to improve results. It may use your location, language, or device type to personalize results, even when you select the do not personalize option.
Turning off personalization disables the ability to find past searches in Autocomplete furthermore, according to Google.
Additional information about the new option is available on the Google Search Help website.
Closing Words
It is quite difficult to get search results that are not personalized. Google admits that it is still using some information to generate search results, even when users are logged out and activate the "do not personalize" option.
If you do not want these to be included, you may need to use different search engines. Search engines like Startpage, DuckDuckGo, or Qwant claim that they do not personalize results.
Now it is your turn. What is your take on the new Google Search feature? Would you like to see fully non-personalized search results on Google? Feel free to leave a comment down below.
Google is so bad… I will tell it to everybody using my TikTok, my Facebook, my WhatsApp, my Telegram, my Instagram, my LinkedIn, my Shiteverywhere and so fu****** forth amazing stranger things from other amazing free privacy sites. LOL all yourselves. Idiocracy at its highest levels.
I don’t use any of Google services. Should I, or a visitor using my PC, wish to have Google Search results then search will be performed with either a SearXNG meta-search engine, either with the Startpage search engine.
This Google Search new feature is relevant of an increasing number of users who aspire to have neutral search results for their queries. I guess many other users simply ignore that Google Search results are biased by what Google knows of them (as well as by their IP’s corresponding location, I’ve been told, not sure though) … but, more importantly perhaps, no doubt many users just like to be given tailored answers to their queries, I don’t know why, makes them feel important or is it that they are of those who dislike information in contradiction with their beliefs?
Google is so widespread that not being logged is not enough, avoiding its services is not enough as well, the company tracks all it can get a grip on, lovers or not. One need to block access to Google servers as well when accessed as 3rd-party, a tool like uBlock Origin together with LocalStorage (a web browser extension that emulates Content Delivery Networks to improve your online privacy and, when it comes to Google, will deliver fonts, scripts required by some sites and bypass access to Google servers).
“When the goin’ get’s tough, the tough get goin’
When the goin’ gets rough, the tough get rough”
That’s the only way to do it with Google Master Spy.
Say when looking up LocalStorage as an extension addon many similarly named results appear, would you mind clarifying a bit? Best wishes
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/localcdn/njdfdhgcmkocbgbhcioffdbicglldapd?hl=en&frame=0&nav=1
@Ipnonymous… my fault : the extension I was referring to is named ‘LocalCDN’, whilst LocalStorage is of course the Web Storage object we know, though some extensions’ names refer to it when the purpose of their code is related to LocalStorage, i.e. ‘LocalStorage Editor’, another extension I use.
So, ‘LocalCDN’ it is, available on AMO at :
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/localcdn-fork-of-decentraleyes/
It is indeed a fork of the ‘Decentraleyes’ extension which initiated the concept. LocalCDN handles far more CDN’s and is often updated. I strongly advise to choose ‘LicalCDN’ rather than ‘Decentraleyes’.
I’m neither ill nor in love, so I have no excuse :) Sorry for that.
Does “&peek_pws=0” work with DDG?
I do not think so. DDG pulls the data from Bing, right?
I do not have a personal preference but do think at times I like a more neutral search where results are not based on my personal data. Mostly though, I find that personal data does narrow results in a positive way most of the time.
…i prefer non censoring, none sponsoring results… (for example it is near impossible to get alternative results about health products or critical information about side effects of pharmaceuticals)(Covid was the master censor tool which brought to light many a nasty thing about the power of corporations, health organisations, governments) …. such as they were with the very Google perhaps +10 years ago.
You’re maybe mixing thing up. If you are talking about Covid, it is a disease, not a pharmaceutical. Covid was also a brand-new thing, and side effects from covid medications were slow to appear online for a multitude of reasons (partially for highly suspicious reasons, but only partially). If you take any brand-new medication, chances are that list of side effects is going to very minimal or almost none-existent. All pre-launch testing through FDA is mostly done to make sure that medication is not deadly/toxic/cancerous and find level of usefulness to alleviate/cure disease. But after any medication stayed on the market for more than 5 years, the side effect list for it on most medical websites is pretty thorough.
Some doctors tried to prescribe alternative pharmaceutical, but doctors were just guessing. It’s like if a doctor knew medication for one snake venom, and he would try to prescribe the same medication for venom from another snake from the same snake family. It works 50/50 at best. People were demonized for taking those medications tough. That was not right.
But if you are talking about side effects of Covid itself, the first and second wave of Covid seemed to be hitting dozens of unrelated body organs very hard, sometimes in very young people. Each new mutation was affecting new organs. If you listen to local TV news, they did report all of those illness effects as they were disclosed by hospitals. It was a chaotic/messy thing. Nobody was prepared for it. Main medical websites, on the other hand, tried to play it very cool for whatever reason and aggregate as little information as possible.
In conclusion. There were attempts to seep some stuff under the rug. If is the same for any Government department or large corporation, why Health Department be any different? But it was just part of the story. Health System is not designed to process information fast and be consumer friendly. Typical processes of acquiring and displaying medical information takes years without any cover-ups. I highly doubt that result would have been extremely different eve if Government/Pharma told the truth. But one thing would be different for sure, the level of trust between citizens and their Government would be in a much better position.
PS: You are right about Google. Google shadowbans a lot of websites that do not play ball. Who is guilty? 50% Google and 50% all of us consumers. When a company has 90% market share in search, it’s stupid not to think that company is not going to work for the consumer. So if you’re still using Google, then expect the same thing to continue.
I have not tried this, so not sure it works.
The goolge help site states that:
To turn off personalization while you’re signed in, turn off “Personalize Search.” When you turn off Web & App Activity, you also turn off personalization. To disable personalization while you’re signed out of your Google Account, turn off “Search customization is on.”
The bigger question is, unless somebody uses Google Docs, why they would be logged in to Google? I still use Google as a secondary search engine, but I never log in. I manage Google settings with userscripts. For example, I use scripts on Google to remove native ads, remove tracking links, remove Google Doodles, disable safe search, remove nag prompts, enable Google advanced search assistant, highlight already visited links. You can find Google userscript for almost any account setting.