Why I’m Worried About Google • Hacker News Board

Re: Why I’m Worried About Google

#71

Post by tango12 » Wed, Oct 03, 2018, 1:06 PM UTC

Spartan-S63 wrote: post #49

With all of these emerging privacy concerns, it reinforces my choice to move away from the Android and Google ecosystem insofar as I can. It reinforces my choice to embrace the Apple ecosystem. While their products aren't perfect, they do take your privacy seriously and you do pay for it. But to me, that seems like a fair trade. Additionally, they have second to none customer support, so it's going to take a company…

True. Unfortunately, the rest of the world that cannot afford products from the apple ecosystem will continue to suffer and they are probably highest at risk of being exploited in ways they can't fathom.

Not sure if/how there's a way for privacy ethics to win over economics/convenience.

Re: Why I’m Worried About Google

#72

Post by bla2 » Wed, Oct 03, 2018, 1:06 PM UTC

CaptainZapp wrote: post #40

robin_reala wrote: post #4

It’s the closing paragraph that’s the important bit: In the end, this is why I’m moving away from the Google ecosystem. If nothing else works, then at least I can vote with my feet—or my fingertips. Google have set their path, so it will take effort for them to deviate from it. The best way to show them that the effort is worthwhile is to affect their bottom line by reducing your use of their services. And maybe you’…

Firefox is fine and DuckDuckGo is good enough by now. Firefox has the added bonus that it doesn't implement a two tier cookie system. Of which one tier cannot be deleted. This, in combination with the new and improved "sign-in-convenience" convinced me that Google is exactly as dirty as any other tech company and should be avoided like the plague, wherever possible.

DuckDuckGo is mostly a skin on Bing search results. By using it, you're saying you trust Microsoft more than Google. If that's your intent, cool, but you're not really getting away from the big tech companies by doing this.

Re: Why I’m Worried About Google

#73

Post by stephengillie » Wed, Oct 03, 2018, 1:08 PM UTC

bla2 wrote: post #72

CaptainZapp wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Firefox is fine and DuckDuckGo is good enough by now. Firefox has the added bonus that it doesn't implement a two tier cookie system. Of which one tier cannot be deleted. This, in combination with the new and improved "sign-in-convenience" convinced me that Google is exactly as dirty as any other tech company and should be avoided like the plague, wherever possible.

DuckDuckGo is mostly a skin on Bing search results. By using it, you're saying you trust Microsoft more than Google. If that's your intent, cool, but you're not really getting away from the big tech companies by doing this.

Where is the open source internet search platform?

Re: Why I’m Worried About Google

#74

Post by [deleted] » Wed, Oct 03, 2018, 1:11 PM UTC

CaptainZapp wrote: post #40

robin_reala wrote: post #4

It’s the closing paragraph that’s the important bit: In the end, this is why I’m moving away from the Google ecosystem. If nothing else works, then at least I can vote with my feet—or my fingertips. Google have set their path, so it will take effort for them to deviate from it. The best way to show them that the effort is worthwhile is to affect their bottom line by reducing your use of their services. And maybe you’…

Firefox is fine and DuckDuckGo is good enough by now. Firefox has the added bonus that it doesn't implement a two tier cookie system. Of which one tier cannot be deleted. This, in combination with the new and improved "sign-in-convenience" convinced me that Google is exactly as dirty as any other tech company and should be avoided like the plague, wherever possible.

[deleted]

Re: Why I’m Worried About Google

#75

Post by [deleted] » Wed, Oct 03, 2018, 1:11 PM UTC

GnwbZHiU wrote: post #56

demxzy wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Firefox is looking more like a very good insurance policy going forward privacy-wise. I would like to see more open source browsers though. It feels like we are getting nearer and nearer to browser mono cultures with all the chromium clones. Maybe Ms can release edge as an opensource app with it being far behind in adoption.

There's also Brave browser by Brendan Eich. It's still very young and have issues, but it's getting better over time.

[deleted]

Re: Why I’m Worried About Google

#76

Post by antidesitter » Wed, Oct 03, 2018, 1:13 PM UTC

bla2 wrote: post #72

CaptainZapp wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Firefox is fine and DuckDuckGo is good enough by now. Firefox has the added bonus that it doesn't implement a two tier cookie system. Of which one tier cannot be deleted. This, in combination with the new and improved "sign-in-convenience" convinced me that Google is exactly as dirty as any other tech company and should be avoided like the plague, wherever possible.

DuckDuckGo is mostly a skin on Bing search results. By using it, you're saying you trust Microsoft more than Google. If that's your intent, cool, but you're not really getting away from the big tech companies by doing this.

Does using DDG give Microsoft your personally-identifiable data?

Re: Why I’m Worried About Google

#77

Post by economistrator » Wed, Oct 03, 2018, 1:16 PM UTC

antidesitter wrote: post #76

bla2 wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

DuckDuckGo is mostly a skin on Bing search results. By using it, you're saying you trust Microsoft more than Google. If that's your intent, cool, but you're not really getting away from the big tech companies by doing this.

Does using DDG give Microsoft your personally-identifiable data?

To be clear, it does not.

Re: Why I’m Worried About Google

#78

Post by fluidcruft » Wed, Oct 03, 2018, 1:18 PM UTC

I don't think anything's actually changed in terms of how you can be tracked, it's just being made obvious to you. If you don't want your browsing linked to your gmail, use different profiles or use a private browsing window.

Re: Why I’m Worried About Google

#79

Post by pjmlp » Wed, Oct 03, 2018, 1:18 PM UTC

Spartan-S63 wrote: post #49

With all of these emerging privacy concerns, it reinforces my choice to move away from the Android and Google ecosystem insofar as I can. It reinforces my choice to embrace the Apple ecosystem. While their products aren't perfect, they do take your privacy seriously and you do pay for it. But to me, that seems like a fair trade. Additionally, they have second to none customer support, so it's going to take a company…

Unfortunately security seems to be a problem only solvable with first world salaries it seems.

I really doubt most people earning 500 euros or less would think on the benefit of Apple's privacy when looking at their price ranges, many times just mapped directly from dollars into local currencies.

Re: Why I’m Worried About Google

#80

Post by antidesitter » Wed, Oct 03, 2018, 1:19 PM UTC

janpot wrote: post #58

dpcx wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You speak as though an author on Slate.com has any actual say in what Slate.com does to set policy. It would be the same as if you read this article on any other "news site" - so why would you dismiss the author's concerns about privacy? Simply because they chose to use Slate.com as the outlet for their statement?

Just like he has alternatives available for Google products that respect his privacy more. He has alternatives available for slate that respect my privacy more. He simply chooses to dismiss my concerns about privacy by picking slate. Why can't I dismiss his concerns about privacy then?

> He simply chooses to dismiss _my_ concerns about privacy by picking slate. Why can't I dismiss _his_ concerns about privacy then?

I don’t see how that follows. Even if the author were positively malicious, why would you ignore their concerns about privacy, which affect you and everyone else? It’s a non-sequitur.