Privacy protection - turn off Google's Web History before March 1st, before the company's new privacy policy goes into effect

If you've visited any Google or Google-owned (e.g., YouTube) websites recently, you've probably seen the notice that the company's privacy policy is changing. According to The Electronic Frontier Foundation, Google's new privacy policy allows the company to associate your real identity with "search data [that] can reveal particularly sensitive information about you, including facts about your location, interests, age, sexual orientation, religion, health concerns," and more.

While nobody really knows what Google intends to do with all this information, once the policy goes into effect Thursday, March 1, 2012, you won't be able to opt out of it without abandoning Google completely.

Digital Journal provides these steps for deleting your search history:

Deleting your browsing history before March 1 when Google's new privacy policy comes into effect will limit Google's ability to track and record your every move online. The process is simple. Follow the steps below:

    1. Go to the google homepage and sign into your account.

    2. Click the dropdown menu next to your name in the upper-right hand corner of your screen.

    3. Click accounts settings

    4. Find the "Services section"

    5. Under "Services" there is a sub-section that reads "View, enable, disable web history." Click the link next to it that reads: "Go to Web History."

    6. Click on "Remove all Web History"

When you click on "Remove all Web History," a message appears that says " Web History is Paused." What this means is that while Google will continue gathering and storing information about your web history it will make all data anonymous, that is, Google will not associate your Web History information with your online accounts and will therefore be unable to send you customized search results.

Via multiple