Does Google's privacy policy make you feel uncomfortable? Not me... I'm one of those who is guilty of repeating the phrase "Google is your friend." But it's a personal decision -- depends on what worries you about internet privacy.
Anyway, there are search engines that you might prefer using instead of Google.
ask.com gives tells you about the info they collect in their Privacy Policy. This article at cnet.com examines some of the major search companies, and ranks ask.com above AOL, Google, Microsoft, and Yahoo.
Mozilla vet Asa Dotzler recommends switching Firefox's search from Google to Bing. I don't know how many people would feel much more comfortable with Microsoft's Bing than with Google, though.
Some others you might want to consider:
Scroogle Scraper
ixquick.com
eTools.ch
Whatever search engine you use, it's probably a good idea to take a look at their privacy policy.
And, if you're concerned about internet privacy, you might want to check out the Smart Computing article, "Is Your ISP On Your Side? When It Will & Will Not Protect Your Privacy," especially the concluding paragraph:
In The End, Privacy Is An Illusion. Yes, there's a trade-off for the convenience of using the Internet and e-mail: loss of privacy. Sure, you can send messages to relatives, friends, and colleagues quickly, and you have access to the world of online shopping, information, and entertainment. If someone wants to track your movements online, however, he can. After all, it's not that hard to do, and with today's laws, ISPs have more leeway than ever to give up your privacy in the name of security. Whether this new outlook has any effect on the average user, only time will tell; but the ISP, given the right pressure, certainly has the legal right to hand over a lot of information about you. You may want to think about that the next time you go online.
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