Google Cookies

Using google search engine today with firefox I discovered clicking on the search results just remained on the search page. Bit of poking about later I found it worked if I enabled cookies. Is this all part of the recent new privacy policy I haven't read the smallprint of? Although the shopping link still seems to work without cookies enabled

However, the main puzzling thing which leads me here as the best place to ask is that in internet explorer if I set cookies to block everywhere google still works fine. So first off I figured it was a peculiarity specific to firefox. Then I noticed that google seems to be able to override my cookie handling preferences in internet explorer and store cookies on my PC anyway. No cookies are left after visiting other websites in the same session with the same settings.

 

I can use google search w/o setting cookies (but I don't). I have all cookies disabled, use Ad Block Plus, Beef Taco opt out list, Ghostery (which blocks google trackers).

Unless there's a reason you like having all search terms & links you visit from search results recorded, don't use Google. Use engines that don't record searches, IP addresses, don't keep logs.

Ixquick - a crawler for many search engines. Can also create your own customized settings plugin.

Startpage (by Ixquick) - proxy to Google search engine, w/o recording / logging anything.

Duck Duck Go - must use their non JS version for better anonymity. Even then, read their privacy policy.

Scroogle - dead for now.

 

Across the past 3-4 months, I've read similar reports of "no cookies breaks google earch".
Each time I've checked, including today, I can't replicate the problem.
For me, testing via various web browsers, disallowing cookies does NOT interfere with Google search.