Q. When I search for something on Google, I suddenly see dozens of ads for it wherever I go online. Is Google watching what I search for? Are there other search sites that don't?
- Charles, from Saginaw, MI, listens to my national radio show on WSGW 790 AM. 

A. You aren't paranoid, Charles. Google does use your searches to help advertisers track and target you with ads. If you read my Breaking News Page, you'll know that Google sometimes gives that information to law enforcement, too.

In the past, I've described how this tracking works and how you can stop some of it. However, one of the best ways to end this is to stop using Google search altogether.

That used to be easier said than done. Google has been the undisputed king of search for years, and many competitors were never able to do search as well. That's not true today, though!

There are plenty of search sites that can be just as good as Google. Some can even do the job much better and faster. All of the ones I'll tell you about also take privacy a little more seriously than Google does.