Take Back Control of Your Personal Information

In an age where every click, search and tap can reveal something about you — your interests, your location, your habits — personal information has become currency. But unlike money, your data is something you should control —not just passively give away.
In this post we’ll explore why control matters, what risks lurk, and how you can take back control of your personal information — with a spotlight on a privacy-first search engine, Searshor, as an actionable tool in your arsenal.

Why control over your personal information matters

1. Privacy is a fundamental right

You have a basic expectation: when you go online, you should be able to use services without having your behaviour monitored, profiled or sold. When personal information is tracked, aggregated and turned into behavioural profiles, you lose the autonomy to decide how you show up online.

2. Data leads to power (and exploitation)

When companies or platforms gather your data, they can target you: through ads, through predictive profiling, even through influencing your decisions. Without control, your data becomes something others use rather than something you manage.

3. Risk of breach, misuse and long-term consequences

If your personal information is scattered across services you don’t control, each of those becomes an attack surface. A breach, sloppy privacy policies, or unexpected data sharing can lead to unwanted consequences. Having control reduces these risks.

Common ways personal information is lost

• Using search engines or websites that track your queries, collect your identity or profile you.

• Browsing the web without considering how your IP, cookies and browser fingerprint reveal who you are.

• Using services that require more data than strictly necessary and then reuse it across contexts.

• Accepting default privacy settings rather than choosing stricter options.

• Not auditing or cleaning up old accounts, old data, or unnecessary permissions.

How to start taking back control: practical steps

Here are actionable things you can begin today:

✅ Audit your digital footprint

Make a list of social media platforms, search engines, apps, accounts you use. Ask:

• What personal info am I giving?

• Who has access to this info?

• Is this required or optional?

• Can I remove / minimize it?

✅ Choose privacy‐friendly tools

Switch to services that prioritise privacy. For example: using search engines that do not track you, browsers with stronger privacy protections, better security settings.

✅ Adjust your settings and permissions

In your browser, disable or limit cookies, trackers, default autofill of personal data. On mobile apps, only allow permissions that are strictly necessary. Turn off data sharing if possible.

✅ Be deliberate with what you share

Before signing up for a new app or service, ask:  Do I really need to share this? If an email or phone number is optional but requested, consider using an alias or skipping.

✅ Clean up unnecessary data

Delete accounts you no longer use. Remove old files, unused apps, stale permissions. The more data you retain, the more exposed you are.

Spotlight: How Searshor helps you reclaim control

Let’s look at how Searshor (searshor.com) aligns with the goal of data-control and privacy.

What is Searshor?

Searshor is a search engine with a focus on privacy:

• It promotes itself as a “privacy-first search engine. No tracking. No targeted ads. No selling your data.” 

• It is built in India (Kerala) with local servers and data sovereignty in mind.

• It uses its own crawlers (SearshorBot, SearshorImageBot) rather than relying entirely on others, aiming for unbiased indexing. 

Why this matters

• No tracking means your search queries are less likely to be linked to a profile of you. That gives you anonymity in your search behaviour.

• No targeted ads / selling your data means one fewer situation where your behaviour gets capitalised on.

• Local hosting and data sovereignty means your information is governed under local jurisdiction and (potentially) better protected from unwanted cross-border data exploitation.

• Using independent crawlers suggests more control and transparency in how results are generated, which can reduce bias or manipulation.

How you can use Searshor to exercise control

• Switch your default search engine to Searshor when you’re doing non-sensitive searches. This reduces how much you reveal to major commercial search engines.

• Use Searshor in contexts where you don’t want your search habits aggregated or used for profiling.

• Combine it with other privacy tools (e.g., private browser mode, VPN, tracker blockers) for stronger overall control.