The following was written Mark Fleming

How can you protect your personal information from being searched from your spouse, the kids, a coworker or your boss? Fortunately, there are a few simple things you can do. While they won’t keep someone out who knows what he’s doing, it will keep people form accidentally bringing up something private.

Setting your Preferences

For starters, let’s take a look at the Desktop Preferences page. You access this from the “Preferences” link on the Google Desktop search page.

Here are the things you can change to increase your privacy:

Search types: Here you select the various types of items you want indexed. The obvious ones you might want to omit are AIM, and possibly email. But at the bottom of the list, you’ll see two item types that you’ll most likely definitely want to uncheck: “password-protected Office documents,” and “secure pages (HTTPS) in web history.”

Don’t Search these items: This is a list box where you can enter what not to index by path or URL. You might key in something like the following:

c:\Documents and Settings\username\Private Stuff
http://www.myfavoritesexysite.com
h:\\Private Docs (network drive)

Search Box Display: You might want to not display the Search Box Display and just call it up from the Programs list when you need it. It is tempting to use floating around on your desktop.

Google integration: This one is important. If you check this option, a standard Web Search will add your Desktop Search results just above your web search results so you can see both at once. If you uncheck this, the user will only see the regular Web Search results. To me, this seems the most dangerous to have checked if you’ve got things on your computer you don’t want others accidentally seeing when using the computer to search for something.

There is no way to take the “Desktop” link off the main Google page where it sits with Images, News and the rest. However, Google says that a password protect feature for the Desktop Search is being considered for the next release. They could at least allow you to set preferences as to what options are displayed on that line.

Removing Items Already Indexed

You may have items that are already indexed. When you see them on a Desktop Search results page you have the ability to remove them from the displaying in the future (be forewarned: until you view the item again). Just check the “Remove Items” link up in the header area, and the rest is easy to follow. Note that if you view the removed item, it will be included again.

If anyone else has other ideas for improving privacy, please use the comments feature to share them.

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Former WebProWorld Admin
IntentionalFoul.com

I have just uninstalled desktop search (I have been using the beta version) as I found it much too intrusive and of limited use.

In particular the 'don't search these items' section is pointless as it acts as a signpost to anybody looking for interesting items on the computer.

Now it has been uninstalled will Google's cache have been deleted or is it sitting around ready to be accessed if someone chooses to reinstall desktop search?

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Martin
www.spectrumwellbeing.co.uk

Perhaps I'm just too simplistic, but I've avoided problems with Google's and Microsoft's desktop search via the simple expedient of not installing them in the first place.

I'm considering starting another practice on a periodic basis: storing all my data on CD's, then reformatting my hard drive. The most tedious part of that for me is I use a variety of programs, so reinstalling them will be tedious if I elect to start this option. But at least I will be as sure as possible to be free of such concerns.

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http://BangkokAtoZ.com, Bangkok's Voice On The Web

Those are helpful pointers - thanks

Maybe as a Brit I should be more sceptical about the whole thing (after all, we're sceptical about everything else)
:-)

The trouble is that for me, the Desktop Search has become indispensable. It has two huge advantages over the Windows search facility; 1) it finds stuff in my emails, and 2) it actually works and I can find what I am looking for.

For someone whose memory has more holes than a Swiss cheese, those actual benefits outweigh any theoretical concerns - at least until I see some evidence of those concerns being born out in practice.

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Bruce Townsend
Actinic ecommerce software, ecommerce website design