Could companies like Norton or other internet anti-virus software companies

[meadowlark5]

Eventually offer ways for consumers to purchase software to scramble or encrypt browsing history so it can't be harvested and sold?

[onlyadream]

1. I don't think so

They wouldn't be getting the history from your computer, but from the traffic as you browse. What's needed is sw that randomly goes to websites, so your history isn't real. This is just my guess, I'm no expert.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

2. I'm sure somebody will figure out how to do something like that

because the demand will be enormous and they could make a buttload of money.

[meadowlark5]

7. That's pretty cool

I'm going to bookmark it and research it more.

I can't even imagine the harassment people will begin to receive with their browsing histories being sold to marketers. Good grief, I cannot even tell you how many telemarketer phone calls I get every single day, mostly related to credit. We have exceptional credit but I am constantly getting calls from PayDay Loans and this shitty company has been calling, and I'm not exaggerating, 12yrs since we moved into our house, offering to combine and lower all of my credit card interest rates. We pay our cards off every month for the most part.

So the unsolicited harassment is going to become 10 fold with this selling of personal browsing history

[procon]

4. If you have ad blocking in your internet security, isn't that already working?

I don't know, but if they can't push ads at you based on your browsing history, doesn't that block them from using your internet habits?

[MADem]

10. They still know what websites you visit. Political views, online shopping, etc.

Time to VPN full-time, I think.

Looking for recommendations!

[anglesphere]

23. I think ProtonMail is developing a vpn

https://protonmail.com

https://protonmail.com/blog/private-browsing-history/

[MADem]

6. VPN providers already exist--I'll bet business is booming.

Prices vary, anyone have recommendations?

[meadowlark5]

8. I bet business will see a "yuge" uptick in purchases/downloads nt

[canetoad]

15. Yep, I've been using one for a long time

Started with Pure VPN. After an un-asked for update, wouldn't work properly.

Currently using this one and it's excellent:

https://www.privateinternetaccess.com/

[bathroommonkey76]

18. They don't keep logs

that's nice to know-- Is it fast?

I'll probably purchase this one by the end of the week.

[canetoad]

21. Yep, reasonably speedy

Also comes in handy for viewing geo-blocked content - "the uploader has not made this video available in your country".

[MADem]

22. You're the 2nd person who has told me that one works well! nt

[canetoad]

24. I switched to it

Obviously after PureVPN went pear-shaped, but it was very highly reviewed on one of the dependable tech sites.

[hunter]

9. Various tools already exist.

The Tor Project was invented by U.S. Navy so they could poke around the internet without the distinctive .mil showing up in the logs of sites they were exploring. But it's not a perfect cloak of invisibility, the big boys with supercomputers and tentacles tapping much of the web can see through it to some extent.

Virtual Private Networks are another tool.

The easiest VPN I know (but http only) is included free with the Opera web browser.

http://www.opera.com

Your mileage may vary because Opera is now owned by a Chinese consortium. Their VPN provider is Canadian if that's any comfort.

I figure if I ever have to depend on more sophisticated "dark nets" then everything is fubar anyways, go for broke Klingon, today is a good day to die...

The best tool I've found for minor annoyances is uBlock Origin, available in the Chrome and Opera web stores. Be polite and don't block the crap that pays the bills for any sites you like.

[meadowlark5]

11. Thank you!

I'm glad I asked here. I didn't know this kind of stuff existed already. Should have known with all of the ads that pop up that have products and services that I have recently searched for.

[canetoad]

16. I really liked Opera

but gave up on it because it hijacked file associations and no way to restore them to other applications.

[hunter]

17. Is this a Windows thing? I use Linux. Opera has never changed my file associations.

In any case, changing file associations is simple. I right-click on a file of a certain type, click "properties," and then select the program I want those files types to be opened with.

I don't recall that I've ever had a file association hijacked, although I have disagreed with the choices of some default installations, a problem easily remedied.

[canetoad]

20. Yeah, I'm using windows

But even though I reset the file associations, Opera would reclaim them. At the time there were many people on the net querying this. It was two or three years ago; things might have changed since then.

[democratisphere]

14. Already exists and is fully functional.

[anglesphere]

19. To hell with traditional internet

We need a citizen's brigade, grass roots, DIY second internet.

Even if we have to organize a citizen's army to deliver digital data once every day to our snail mail boxes to avoid going through commercial carriers, its worth it.