I guess it's cheaper to try and extend this whole facebook/cambridge analytica story than to do actual journalism. What's more you get to attack a business rival (doubly true for wsj v google).
The Many Ways Google Harvests Data
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Re: The Many Ways Google Harvests Data
#12https://duckduckgo.com https://protonmail.com https://apple.com
The mail is only as secure as who you send it too. If you email a Yahoo or Gmail account the email may be secure on your proton server but open to the others. The thing about security is everyone else has to do it or it breaks down. Gmail and other free email providers make it so easy people don't want to change.
Re: The Many Ways Google Harvests Data
#13On one hand, I'm glad to see popular concern for (or at least media coverage of) personal data privacy issues. On the other hand, I can't imagine this is news to anyone at HN, or anyone who's been following such issues for years.
Ok ok, maybe the mass public is finally becoming more aware of these issues, but they're also even more heavily invested in the services Google/FB provide than when these revelations were first known to a more niche online community.
I find it hard to believe that all this media attention is anything other than too little too late.
Re: The Many Ways Google Harvests Data
#14https://duckduckgo.com https://protonmail.com https://apple.com
One of these things is not like the other. DuckDuckGo and Proton were founded on the basis of protecting privacy and not sharing personal data. The other is part of the cabal.
What makes you believe Apple sells their customer’s data?
Re: The Many Ways Google Harvests Data
#15This is disappointing from WSJ. Google's data collection is a good story but pulling Facebook in and then devolving into what-about-ism is not. This is toeing the what-about-Google/twitter stance Facebook took in it's release.
> Google gathers more personal data than Facebook does, by almost every measure—so why aren’t we talking about it?
Because one problem at a time. If we are going down this path, how about,
> Many people die of hunger every year more than Facebook, by almost every measure—so why aren’t we talking about it?
Re: The Many Ways Google Harvests Data
#16https://duckduckgo.com https://protonmail.com https://apple.com
One of these things is not like the other. DuckDuckGo and Proton were founded on the basis of protecting privacy and not sharing personal data. The other is part of the cabal.
Insofar as we have limited options on mobile phones: Currently between a company built around profiting from data collection and a company built around profiting from selling hardware, the latter is the best possible choice.
(Android is mostly a lost cause even if you try and strip Google out of it, and doing so in an even mildly secure fashion is beyond most people's competency. Most other OSes are more or less toys without even basic ability to replace a modern smartphone.)
Re: The Many Ways Google Harvests Data
#17https://duckduckgo.com https://protonmail.com https://apple.com
One of these things is not like the other. DuckDuckGo and Proton were founded on the basis of protecting privacy and not sharing personal data. The other is part of the cabal.
Exactly. Apple is also one of the participants in the NSA's PRISM [1] domestic surveillance program. Their participation shows at least some disregard for the privacy of their customers in and of itself, but more tellingly it's also indicative of the NSA's appreciation for the amount and quality of unique and identifiable data that Apple has or can readily obtain on their users.
[1] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PRISM_%28surveillance_program%...
Re: The Many Ways Google Harvests Data
#18Haven't read the article because it is behind paywall, but it is not that hard to stay away from Google if you really care for it.
Search - Use DuckDuckGo or startpage.
Use Fastmail or any other email provider that is not Google.
Watch Youtube videos without creating an account and clear out cookies regularly.
Use Vimeo or some other service to host your videos for private use.
Use Google Translate without a Google Account, and make sure you're not logged into a Google account in another tab or even the same browser.
Use Firefox instead of Google Chrome.
Google Adsense - Block ads using adblocker, Ghostery, and if you're up for it, use Adnauseum. Again, make sure to not leave a trace of a Google account in that browser.
Google DNS - Use your carrier's DNS or even better something like Quad9 instead. Keep changing it among the open ones if you dont want a single DNS provider getting all your history.
Android Integrations - Use iPhone :-) But, if you have something against Apple or dont like it, Use as plain Android as possible. Check if you can live without the Play store. Rooting?
GSuite - Use local Office programs with files living in Nextcloud or something.
Google Drive - Use Nextcloud instead.
Google Analytics - Adblock/Ghostery it.
Google AMP - Note sure what you reveal if you can avoid a Google account. Clear out cookies frequently.
The point being, do NOT use a Google account in the browser, clear out cookies as often as reasonable.
Re: The Many Ways Google Harvests Data
#19I guess it's cheaper to try and extend this whole facebook/cambridge analytica story than to do actual journalism. What's more you get to attack a business rival (doubly true for wsj v google).
Also when writing about facebook/cambridge analytica story, you can easily add a few lines about the election, which makes the story more shared, generating more clicks (~engagement), so the story is much more talked about.
If the cambridge analytica story was about selling cars or home appliance, it would have been forgotten in a few days.
Edit: And perhaps it's a good thing that it was about the elections? It would mean that it might force a change on first Facebook, then maybe other internet companies
Re: The Many Ways Google Harvests Data
#20Just some of the ways Google collects data [1]: Google Search, Google Fiber, Google Recaptcha, Google Translate, Google Adsense, Google Chrome (Safe Browsing checks etc.), Google DNS (8.8.4.4 etc.), Google Mail, Android Integrations, Google GSuite (Sheets, Docs, etc.), Google Drive, Google Analytics, Google AMP, YouTube So on and so forth. Of course, Google keeps most of this data to themselves to improve products an…
Plus all the data gathered from their discontinued Tools. Also even if you're not using gmail/Android/Gsuite, if you're working/communicating with someone who does, Google still get your information.