Obfuscating Google

I wondered how long it would take someone to build a system that obfuscates your data from Google. We looked at how to do it a few years ago, but the best short term default seemed to use Dogpile, a "parasite" search engine, or similar - yes, they have your data but its a far smaller operation. But that was just search. . However, a smart hacker has come up with a way of doing it. Forbes:

Now an independent security researcher who goes by the name Moxie Marlinspike is making Web users a counter-offer: Take Google's ( GOOG - news - people ) giveaways and keep your privacy too.

On Tuesday, Marlinspike launched a service he calls Googlesharing, a plug-in for Firefox designed to give users access to Google's online offerings while cloaking their identity from the company's data collection tools. By hosting a proxy server with a collection of Google "identities," the privacy software, which can be accessed at Googlesharing.net, will allow users to temporarily route their traffic through another computer that masks their identity by mixing their online actions with those of other users.

"Each identity looks like a normal user, but everything is mixed up between identities so Google can't track any individual," says Marlinspike. That means users can exploit any of Google's offerings that don't require logins, such as search, maps or news, without allowing Google to assemble a profile of their activities that can be used for advertising targeting--or, as some users might fear, information that could be subpoenaed by government investigators.

You can get the Firefox addition here. Marlinspike is offering up his code so you can build your own, so well worth a look methinks. I predict a large increase in Google services that have to be signed in for. I wonder if the Open ID people may have looked at this, but they have a different gig right now - but maybe we have a bigger need for Private rather than Open ID.