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Never connect to ProtonMail using Chrome

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Re: Never connect to ProtonMail using Chrome

#151

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe over-complicating things is a way of eliminating competition from Google. If it wasn't so complicated, someone could easily offer a competing, privacy-oriented browser; which Google would not like-- so make it so hideously complex no one can do it without $50 mil? There would be more innovation if things were simple, because anyone with a good idea could contribute.

This sort of happened when the WHATWG effectively wrested control of HTML away from the W3C (although Google was not a founding member, they are one of the Steering Members now). https://thehistoryoftheweb.com/when-standards-divide/ The membership of the W3C supported XHTML, to improve interoperability among other reasons. Apple, Mozilla and Opera had a different vision and broke away and formed the WHATWG which Goog…

XHTML actually decreased interoperability with seldom anyone able to produce conformant strict XHTML. XHTML was a huge mistake, the W3C obsoleted itself with this one.

Re: Never connect to ProtonMail using Chrome

#152
1. If you WANT be public, upload videos to 'own' YouTube channel, post in 'own' blog on Blogspot — use Google.

2. If you WON'T be public — don't use Google! Keep uBlockOrigin & uMatrix in your web-browser always turned ON or use Links[0] as default browser!

As for me, I want manage 'own' YouTube channel (spoiler!), but I will newer use 'own' GMail or other Google's services for serious things non on home PC, non on Android mobile.

P.S.: How many of you has LinkedIn profile? ;-)

[0] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16191843

Re: Never connect to ProtonMail using Chrome

#153

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What frequently happens is that a simplified alternative appears. HTML5 rather than XHTML, Markdown vs. HTML or LaTeX, HTML, originally, vs. SGML or Sun's ... proprietary hypertext system (Vue?). Arguably, replacement of much office suite software with Web technologies. Multics -> Unix.

> HTML5 rather than XHTML Huh? Parsing HTML5 is much more complicated than XHTML, and everything else is about the same.

The issue with XHTML is not parsing, it's generating valid one. The internet got years to try, failed, time to switch to something else...

Because parsing invalid XHTML, which all browsers ended doing, is more complicated than parsing HTML5...

Re: Never connect to ProtonMail using Chrome

#154
post #147

I would make the advice more general: avoid dealing with Google. Recently I had to install Hangouts app on the Android phone (it was easier than using it on desktop because I don't have the latest Chrome). One has to register a Google Account in order to use it, and I had to answer a lot of questions as if I was applying for a visa, including a phone number (of course I used a fake number) and date of birth. Then the…

I just went to create a google account to see for myself because this sounds egregiously bad. I think you are exaggerating quite a bit: * Phone number is clearly marked as optional and it says they use it for security. (Of course, Facebook said the same thing, and look how that turned out...) * The only information requests that I think are unnecessary are date of birth (they say because some services are age restric…

> date of birth required

US law has some requirements on accounts created by minors which essentially means you must check the age for people creating new accounts, and you must not allow accounts for people I don't entirely understand where exactly this applies, i.e. why you can create accounts on some sites without giving your age. It might only apply in some telecommunication accounts cases, or maybe (possibly more likely), Google is one of the few companies subject to scrutiny here, so everyone else just flies under the radar.

Re: Never connect to ProtonMail using Chrome

#155

I would make the advice more general: avoid dealing with Google. Recently I had to install Hangouts app on the Android phone (it was easier than using it on desktop because I don't have the latest Chrome). One has to register a Google Account in order to use it, and I had to answer a lot of questions as if I was applying for a visa, including a phone number (of course I used a fake number) and date of birth. Then the…

If you have Google Play installed (doesn't matter if you ever use it) then you'll also have Play Framework or whatever they call it, and that probably has permission to just about everything.

If you have an Android phone and don't trust Google then what their apps ask for seems a bit irrelevant - you've almost certainly already given them whatever you don't want them to have.

Re: Never connect to ProtonMail using Chrome

#156
post #12
post #10

If you care about privacy these days: Remote self-destructible VM for browsing with Firefox in incognito mode (only sites you NEED to, that REQUIRE JS), through multiple VPNs over multiple proxies. Everything else is command line HTML parsers (also on different, remote VMs), or API endpoints (HN API as an example?). Need email service? Self-hosted, tiny email-server somewhere in eastern Europe. DDNS etc. Local machin…

Not the world-wide-web that was first dreamed of, eh? That collaborative one. That sharing one. That innocent one. But thank the universe we still have it.

I wonder these days how much of an illusion this was.

A free-to-use global computer network borne of a military projects programme with all communications in the clear by default, centralised in a country with a highly active global foreign policy. Hmmm. Looking at it like that it seems Google and Facebook are just picking up where the other guys left off.

But yeah still glad we have it though.

Re: Never connect to ProtonMail using Chrome

#158
post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No it isn't. It's the difference between "Here's some money, please show this to young Democrats" and "Here's some money, please give me a list of young Democrats." That's a pretty damn big difference.

What stops Google from selling this list if the deal is good and nobody knows about it?

Hopefully, the fear of internal whistleblowers?

Re: Never connect to ProtonMail using Chrome

#159

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Where did I say URL? I'm talking a POST based form. Put a value into it a text field and Chrome will helpfully save it for future auto-completion. Then it'll upload it to your account on their cloud if you're logged into an account. How do you think it's able to fill out your name, address, etc. on all those web forms?

I'm sorry. I'm out of date it seems. I thought autocomplete="false" worked for non authentication/non common fields. I'll have to check this out in the office later.

It looks as though Google have gradually eliminated support for this because "reasons" https://stackoverflow.com/questions/30053167/autocomplete-of...

Re: Never connect to ProtonMail using Chrome

#160

I would make the advice more general: avoid dealing with Google. Recently I had to install Hangouts app on the Android phone (it was easier than using it on desktop because I don't have the latest Chrome). One has to register a Google Account in order to use it, and I had to answer a lot of questions as if I was applying for a visa, including a phone number (of course I used a fake number) and date of birth. Then the…

Not really a Google thing. They all want your data- the tech industry is rotten to the core. Every app is tracking you, copying your contacts .
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