Opera GX Browser Can Tidy Up Your Internet History After You Die

If you’re worried about a spouse or family member seeing your internet history after you die, gaming-focused browser Opera GX has a new feature that may come in handy.

An internet history on a browser can tell a lot about someone, including what unsavory sites they recently visited. So in response, Opera created Fake My History(Opens in a new window), which can automatically clean it up once you kick the bucket.

Fake My History will activate if you’ve been away from the browser for two weeks. Opera GX will then “graciously replace your browsing history with an entirely fictional —yet surprisingly pleasant—fabrication,” the company wrote in a blog post. 

(Opera)

“So in case your nosy partner, parent, or roommate opens Opera GX and sneaks a posthumous peek at your history, they can marvel at your bogus-yet-impeccable online tastes and the charmingly false exploits that now populate your digital past,” Opera added. 

For example, Fake My History will sanitize the list of websites you’ve visited by including searches for “local volunteer opportunities,” “free online courses for personal growth,” and “how to encourage voting in my community.” Loved ones looking through the browser will thus come away heartened and impressed, rather than shocked or disgusted, by your online adventures.

We’ll have to wait and see how it works. It doesn’t look like Fake My History has rolled out to Opera GX just yet. But the company says the feature will be opt-in. Users can also select the setting “Pretend I’m Already Dead,” and the feature will immediately go into effect, replacing your current internet history with more flowery results.

In the meantime, users can check out options to delete their internet history on other browsers. For instance, Google’s Chrome can be set to automatically delete anything in your internet history older than than three, 18, or 36 months, depending on your choice.

UPDATE: In an email, Opera said: “In order to activate ‘Fake My History,’ you should have the most recent version of Opera GX (if not, you’ll have to update(Opens in a new window)). Once that’s been ensured, open your full-page History (accessible from the hamburger menu in the bottom-left of the browser). At the top-right, next to ‘Clear browsing data…’ you will see ‘Redeem my soul.’ Click that button to ensure your faked history!”

Another way to access the feature involves using the Opera GX browser, and going to this page(Opens in a new window), then clicking on the “Hell yeah” button. This should update the browser and take you to a window, where you can activate the function.