Opera GX browser can now fake your browsing history when you die

Whether the latest feature of Opera Software’s Opera GX browser is useful or not is hotly debated already. The company announced the launch of the “fake my history” feature, which replaces a user’s “questionable browsing history with a clean slater” after two weeks of inactivity.

Opera Software notes that this feature could alleviate user fears that someone else might browse through their browsing history after their death.

The company explains how the feature work on its Investors website.  There, it explains the concept in the following way: “Continue browsing like you normally would; stumble upon your thousandth cat video, dive headfirst into conspiracy theory rabbit holes, and yes, even indulge in some occasional X-rated content. But after 14 consecutive days of inactivity, Opera GX will make a reasonable assumption – that you’ve fallen into a bottomless pit, gotten smacked in the head with a turtle shell, or chosen to punish yourself by switching to another browser”.

The browser replaces the entire browsing history of the user with “an entirely fictional” one. Unlike the former, it is guaranteed to be “surprisingly pleasant” so that a user’s “nosy partner, parent or roommate” find searches that the “internet’s most virtuous” user has made.

To activate the feature, Opera GX users need to open the browsing history of the browser. There, they find the new option “redeem my soul”, which, when activated, displays a short intro to the feature. Selecting Activate enables the feature, so that the browsing history will be replaced when Opera GX is not used for at least 14 consecutive days.

There is also a “pretend I’m already dead” option to turn the browsing history into an assortment of fake searches and websites right away.

Please note that Opera GX will erase the entire history, but it will only populate the last 14 days  with fake entries. Sample searches included “how to donate books”, “free online courses for personal growth” and “how to help save the bees” and some of the opened websites included sites that matched the search topics.

The new feature has its limits. While it may not be possible for third-parties to recover the real browsing history, it may be possible to find out that the browsing history is fake. The tool works only in Opera GX, which means that the browsing history of any other browser as well as online accounts, e.g., Google, remain untouched by the feature.

Also, Fake My History only works if others are able to gain access to the device. If the device is encrypted or proper password protected, they may not be able to even launch the browser in first place.

Now you: what is your take on the Fake My History feature?

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