Help Not sure how best to get rid of search history

[TJuk]

Hi
I basically would like to know the best way to get rid of my search history etc on laptop and mobile phone. I don't want them knowing that it was sn, I don't want people been able to see this group in my searches as I don't know if police/coronas go through your phone and laptop.

How is the best way to clear all this?

Id just destroy my phone but its got photos that parents would like etc

 

[tooStupidForExitBag]

You won't be able to prevent people from knowing you used SN, an autopsy will be performed and the cause of death will then be determined.

As for how you clear your search history, it's quite easy but depend on which web browser you're using.
For chrome you can use this link: chrome://settings/clearBrowserData
Firefox: about:preferences#searchResults then press the "Clear History..." button
If you're using a different web browser you can simply google something like "*name of web browser* clear search history"

 

[TJuk]

Thanks I basically don't want them seeing this site or anything else as its 100% my decision

 

[Soulless_Angel]

Or use a non history browser such as duck duck go,

https://duckduckgo.com/

 

[Rue89]

Chrome has an "incognito" tab option and Microsoft Edge has "InPrivate" tab. Those don't save website or search history.

 

[vonvonwantpeace]

Download and install ccleaner both laptop and cp app.

 

[MissKatrina]

Other methods everyone mentioned are great. A bit extreme but you can always factory reset your laptop and phone to ensure it's very difficult for family to get access to your stuff.

 

[autumnal]

For the computer, I'd personally suggest Privazer over Ccleaner. Clear your history in the browser, and then run Privazer and do a minimum 3-pass overwrite of both browser history and blank disk space.

On mobile, clear your history in the browser and then use something like FShred (for Android) or an iOS equivalent.

Note that neither of these methods prevent authorities from analysing logs or metadata from your Internet Service Provider (ISP). Nor are they effective against very forensically skilled analysis.

FYI: It's generally easier to avoid leaving traces in the first place than to clear them up afterwards. Using something like Tails (and Tor) is the best way to achieve this, although it's not for computer novices. At the very least using Tor on its own is helpful.

Other methods everyone mentioned are great. A bit extreme but you can always factory reset your laptop and phone to ensure it's very difficult for family to get access to your stuff.

Warning: a factory reset very often does not wipe your data. It only marks the space where the data was stored as being available for later overwriting. It's similar to how deleting a file on computer doesn't actually delete the file, it just marks the space as empty so that it can be overwritten. Never rely on a factory reset for securely wiping data. Instead, use a file shredding/wiping utility that has a 3-pass overwrite minimum.

 

[enjolras]

Epic Privacy Browser, a secure chromium-based web browser with Encrypted Proxy and AdBlock | a free, unlimited VPN private browser for Windows, Mac, and Android

www.epicbrowser.com

For computer use, Epic Privacy browser is a okay good alternative. Tor remains unmatched for critical use, but Epic is a good trade-off that may be more pleasant performance wise for day-to-bay casual browsing.

It comes with privacy features enabled by default, a practical built-in VPN (8 locations to choose from) and auto-clears all profiles each time it is closed, without manual intervention, so you can forget about these steps

 

[ohhgeeitsme]

Other methods everyone mentioned are great. A bit extreme but you can always factory reset your laptop and phone to ensure it's very difficult for family to get access to your stuff.

This is what I did with my first attempts. I backed up whatever I wanted to keep just in case or wanted to save for others, as I assumed they would go through it and then did a factory reset. It also helped my Chromebook run more efficiently too lol.

 

[TJuk]

Thanks everyone