Privacy when working in the Yandex search engine

Actually, this work prompted the idea to write this article: “We are returning privacy or my big brother is following me at standard settings. Part 1: The browser settings and services "Google" " . In short: the user has configured the Google search engine and the Google Chrome browser in such a way as to provide at least some privacy and security on the network. Then there was an understanding that Yandex, for sure, also did not hesitate to collect information about users, and just like Google allows you to turn off this whole thing.

Why am I writing about Yandex? There are a huge number of users who use not Google, but Yandex - for various reasons. And there are those who use both search engines at the same time, depending on the task / mood / phase of the moon.

Thus, today I will consider the Yandex settings that allow you to make your work more private and secure.

Continuation - under the cut. Caution Pictures.

First, go to tune.yandex.ru/ .

Here we have several sub-items available:

• City setting. This is the default location of our location, as well as the function of determining the location;
• Setting the interface language. Obviously, the choice of interface language. We are now of little interest;
• Customize your search results. A lot of settings dedicated to the search algorithm, including disabling targeted search;
• "My findings." Setting up the Yandex My Finds service;
• Search hints. Setting the output of search hints;
• Setting banner display on the main page. He is also of little interest to us now. But if it infuriates, you can turn it off;
• Consideration of a circle of interests for displaying advertising. As the name implies, one of the most curious for us.

City setting

First of all, you need to uncheck “use the current city by default” and then the automatic location function, after checking “do not specify my location”:

Customize Search Results

Among the huge number of settings available on this page, we are interested in those located in the "Personal Search" column. Here we need to uncheck "take into account my search history", "show my favorite sites in the prompts" and "show my queries in the prompts" and put the "My finds" rocker in the "Stop recording" position:

"My findings"

This is a Yandex service that stores your search history and offers you search results based on your old results. Obviously, this is convenient, but if safety is more important for us, this parameter should be turned off:



we put all the rockers in the “Turn off / Stop” position and do not forget the “Clear History” function.

The result of our activity can be checked here . If everything is done correctly, you will see this page:

Search Tips

Basically, “hints” are a very convenient service in itself. But here it is necessary to monitor it so that in exchange for convenience it does not collect data about you too much.

We check (in theory, according to the results of previous settings, the necessary checkmarks themselves should have been reset) so that only the "Search Tips" function is enabled, and "My queries in search tips" and "Favorite sites in tips" are turned off:

Account interests

This is the most delicious. Of course, it’s nice to see how they show ads on the Yandex.Maps page of an online store offering a smartphone that you were interested in a couple of days ago at a discount. If this kind of helpfulness makes you uncomfortable, check the box "Do not take into account the circle of your interests when displaying ads."



So, you and I could have ensured privacy and personal security when working in the Yandex search engine. However, do not forget that all the services that we turned off were created not only to monitor us, but also to ensure the convenience of our work on the network. And we must be aware that these actions are a double-edged sword, and you, by increasing your safety, are depriving yourself of some degree of comfort.