I've already stopped using Chrome on my computers and phone. Getting pretty close to dropping them into my hosts file.
Google Has Dropped Ban on Personally Identifiable Web Tracking
151–160 of 296 posts
Re: Google Has Dropped Ban on Personally Identifiable Web Tracking
#152Earlier: We will not combine DoubleClick cookie information with your personally identifiable information unless we have your opt-in consent. Now: Depending on your account settings, your activity on other sites and apps may be associated with your personal information in order to improve Google's services and the ads delivered by Google. So opt-in becomes opt-out.
To opt out, or "Pause" as Google is tellingly calling it, from the article: To opt-out of Google’s identified tracking, visit the Activity controls[1] on Google’s My Account page, and uncheck the box next to “Include Chrome browsing history and activity from websites and apps that use Google services." You can also delete past activity from your account. [1] https://myaccount.google.com/activitycontrols
In typical Google fashion, I can't tell if this will actually work or not. Some of the settings were in-between "On" and "Off". WTF did that mean? And then some of them seemed to imply that I had to accept a cookie to make them not work. Well I browse privately and use ad blocking, so does that mean they'll track me across a single session but not multiple sessions? (I ask because cookies work in a single session, but when I quit, they are deleted.) It also seemed to imply that the settings were only for that one browser on that one computer. I want it always off for everything. WTF? I don't think a typical user can understand the implications of these settings and make informed choices about using them.
Re: Google Has Dropped Ban on Personally Identifiable Web Tracking
#153Earlier quoted context omitted.
If we accept the small invasion of privacy now, and accept it as the norm, what are the implications for the future?
It doesn't really bother me if the internet knows that I recently bought a nice soldering iron on Amazon or that I play D&D with my friends. I kinda view the internet as public and I don't really have huge privacy concerns about information I put in public.
Other people have legitimate concerns about others knowing what they bought on Amazon or do with their friends. In some jurisdictions, buying what seem like normal products to you and I is illegal. Some people live in areas where others knowing they are gay, transgendered, conservative, atheist, etc. will get them fired or literally killed. It's great that you don't have to worry about that. But others do, and it's getting to the point where, "Then just don't use the internet" is simply not possible. Even, "Then just don't use Google's services" is impossible when their ads and tracking are on literally half of the top 1 million sites on the internet.
Re: Google Has Dropped Ban on Personally Identifiable Web Tracking
#154The marketers and advertisers have finally won. Google hasn't been an engineering company for the last 5 years maybe, but this confirms it. It's like Facebook, they're beholden to the non-developers and non-software engineers who frankly don't care about other people's privacy and only see the dollar bills. So glad I'm evaluating other email providers and use Privoxy for ad-blocking.
> So glad I'm evaluating other email providers and use Privoxy for ad-blocking.
I find it to be not that easy to find good alternatives.
In the long run good products require money, and money is massively flowing at advertisement currently.
That's why the big players are Google (ads), Facebook (ads), and I suspect that's why Microsoft is starting to massively collect user data (from Windows 10).
Building good competition requires money flowing at them, and people don't seem willing to pay for such products.
The only alternatives I see currently are:
- A change of rules (laws) regulating advertisement and personal data.
- A change of the funding system to give more opportunities to people to unite and bootstrap their own initiatives (basic income?).
- A subscription-based subset of Internet were you pay $10-$30 each month and can access to a high-quality service providers (news, email providers, etc).
- A major actor benevolently sponsoring such efforts (states or other wealthy entities with funding capabilities).
Re: Google Has Dropped Ban on Personally Identifiable Web Tracking
#155Earlier quoted context omitted.
Well, my wife and I just ordered dumb phones and an AWS 2FA key fob (remember those?) which will be here this weekend, we're selling all our screens except one family PC. I sold off my Oculus Rift and gaming PC a month ago. We're going to have to buy a flashlight, GPS or maybe just a map book, calculator, a CD player, a Blu-Ray burner, a day planner, a wristwatch, a kitchen timer, get a library card, a shared calenda…
I recently did this same thing as an experiment for a full year. No mobile phone actually, no music, no movies, no games, so a little more extreme. The strangest feeling will come after you “reset” but everything and everyone else around you is still connected. That’s when you notice how different things have become. Good luck. It’s a nice feeling actually, nothing to be nervous about. It gave me perspective and chan…
Just curious - why so extreme? There's never been a time in my life where there was "no music" and "no movies." Back in the 1970s we had record players and 8-track tapes and the radio. We had movie theaters and they even showed movies on TV from time to time.
As a musician, the "no music" part is really disturbing to me. It sounds like a strict religious cult at that point. I mean, even before I could walk or talk my parents would sing to me sometimes (I'm told).
Re: Google Has Dropped Ban on Personally Identifiable Web Tracking
#156Bait and switch?
Re: Google Has Dropped Ban on Personally Identifiable Web Tracking
#157The marketers and advertisers have finally won. Google hasn't been an engineering company for the last 5 years maybe, but this confirms it. It's like Facebook, they're beholden to the non-developers and non-software engineers who frankly don't care about other people's privacy and only see the dollar bills. So glad I'm evaluating other email providers and use Privoxy for ad-blocking.
You're being way generous. It's more like 15 years.
But, anyway, moving to another company won't help. Unless it's something that is specifically prohibited by contract (and not unilaterally editable), companies will eventually do it if it makes them money. Individuals have zero leverage.
What we need is a massive corporation for all people that will negotiate contracts on our behalf. Oh, wait, that's what governments are for? Governments are so 20th century.
Re: Google Has Dropped Ban on Personally Identifiable Web Tracking
#158The marketers and advertisers have finally won. Google hasn't been an engineering company for the last 5 years maybe, but this confirms it. It's like Facebook, they're beholden to the non-developers and non-software engineers who frankly don't care about other people's privacy and only see the dollar bills. So glad I'm evaluating other email providers and use Privoxy for ad-blocking.
>> the non-developers and non-software engineers who frankly don't care about other people's privacy and only see the dollar bills.
If the developers and the software engineers cared about other people's privacy and saw anything beyond dollar bills the nons' would not have anything to sell.
Re: Google Has Dropped Ban on Personally Identifiable Web Tracking
#159The marketers and advertisers have finally won. Google hasn't been an engineering company for the last 5 years maybe, but this confirms it. It's like Facebook, they're beholden to the non-developers and non-software engineers who frankly don't care about other people's privacy and only see the dollar bills. So glad I'm evaluating other email providers and use Privoxy for ad-blocking.
Google has never been an engineering company, it's a search company with an engineering-focused culture and an ad-driven monetization model.
Please don't paint broad unsubstantiated strokes over all "non-developers and non-software engineers". You mention Facebook as an example that's not engineering focused but fail to mention that their equity structure is such that Mark Zuckerberg has control effectively through the votes his shares represent which means MZ, an engineer/hacker, is responsible for the decisions of the company.
Google is not a company whose mission it is to preserve people's privacy. They are out to solve search and organize information and in order to reach their goals, they have to find a way to attract the best talent in the world. This requires making tradeoffs in order to get the capital required to invest in changing the world in the way they think will be better.
Re: Google Has Dropped Ban on Personally Identifiable Web Tracking
#160Also recommend that you read https://plus.google.com/104092656004159577193/posts/Bo88vgre... , particularly the comments.