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New study: Google manipulates users into constant tracking

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Re: New study: Google manipulates users into constant tracking

#341

Post by geerlingguy »

fitzroy wrote: post #306
_jal wrote: post #194

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Amazon finally exceeded my tolerance for slimy behavior last year, and I let Prime lapse. The amount of time and energy they have put in to making it hard to compare prices in their own goddamn store was enough by itself; behavior like this is motor-oil icing on the garbage cake. I had to readjust a few common purchases, but I was far less habituated to them than I thought I was. Having to actually pay attention and…

Same. Also, Target and Walmart free shipping usually ends up being 2 or 3 days for me whereas it seems Amazon now intentionally delays free non-Prime shipping to make Prime more attractive.

Prime shipping has only about a 50% 2-day delivery hit rate for me. Sometimes I order a Prime product and get it in 3-5 days. One time it was about 8 days. In most cases, delivered by the Amazon U-Haul trucks with people who pop out, toss your package against the door, then pop back in.

Re: New study: Google manipulates users into constant tracking

#342

Post by darkpuma »

reaperducer wrote: post #243
jayd16 wrote: post #150

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>While Voice Match learning the sound of your voice sounds like a completely local task But voice rec is not local. The reason it asks to store your voice is because they need to send it to their backend for recognition.

But voice rec is not local Voice rec was local until about ten years ago. You could even buy software dictation products that installed from CDROM and didn't need a network connection. I shouldn't need a network connection to do anything voice on my own device. It should only reach out to the network for things it doesn't have local knowledge of.

Furthermore many smartphones can do voice dictation while in airplane mode.

Re: New study: Google manipulates users into constant tracking

#343

Post by 8bitsrule »

ranit wrote: post #167
jerf wrote: post #45

This dark pattern seems to be spreading. Amazon recently pushed out an update to their (beta last I knew) web app that allows you to use their smile.amazon.com charity donation through the app. But in order to turn that on, you have to turn on all the notifications the app has, including their rather constant pushes of "deals I may be interested in". They're holding you hostage to their notifications because "it's fo…

> Silicon Valley has no intention of retraining itself in any manner. Historically, no industry, once became major, intended to retrain itself to be more positive to the society. If any improvement happened, it was forced from outside.

Without pointing a finger, but onsidering the (so-far) lost potential of this new medium - once so promising, now the dismay of so many ... it has become 'Sellout Valley'.

Re: New study: Google manipulates users into constant tracking

#344

Post by swiley »

ultimoo wrote: post #281
FabHK wrote: post #276

My list of degooglifying actions: * switch default search engine to DuckDuckGo (can still use !s bang when one wants to see what Google has) * use tracking blocker (uBlock origin, BlockBear on iOS) * use anonymous/private/porn mode browsing most of the time (except for sites I actually want to be logged in permanently) * use Zoho as a replacement for shared Google docs * use Youtube either in private window, and/or d…

Great list! You forgot to mention the browser, I personally use FF and have grown to like it though I miss Chrome occasionally. >long ago switched to different email for main email, and forwarded gmail account to it (nobody uses it anymore). Neat! How do you set up auto forwarding with gmail?

Either Firefox is awful on windows or Chrome has something really great that I've totally missed.

Chrome on Linux is just all kinds of unpleasant, it's not even possible to use it at all with my current distro. I don't understand how everyone seems to like it so much.

Re: New study: Google manipulates users into constant tracking

#345

Post by tivert »

scarface74 wrote: post #338
pje wrote: post #211

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's almost like we need regulations to counteract what are otherwise inevitable consequences of profit maximization!

No, we just need to stop buying from companies whose business model is anything other than you give them money and they give you stuff.

> No, we just need to stop buying from companies whose business model is anything other than you give them money and they give you stuff.

So, stop using the internet, then?

Uncoordinated collective economic action like you call for doesn't really work, especially when it's against the shareholder-value maximizing interest of a corporation.

Re: New study: Google manipulates users into constant tracking

#346

Post by swiley »

sandov wrote: post #337
FabHK wrote: post #276

My list of degooglifying actions: * switch default search engine to DuckDuckGo (can still use !s bang when one wants to see what Google has) * use tracking blocker (uBlock origin, BlockBear on iOS) * use anonymous/private/porn mode browsing most of the time (except for sites I actually want to be logged in permanently) * use Zoho as a replacement for shared Google docs * use Youtube either in private window, and/or d…

* Replace stock android with LineageOS if your phone is on the list of supported devices [1]. It has worked great for me. [1] https://wiki.lineageos.org/devices/

That's nice but a huge chunk of android has been moved into google's closed source "play services." It's pretty much impossible for the average person to have a functioning phone without that, they don't even maintain the open source mail client any more.

Re: New study: Google manipulates users into constant tracking

#347

Post by Animats »

reaperducer wrote: post #243
jayd16 wrote: post #150

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>While Voice Match learning the sound of your voice sounds like a completely local task But voice rec is not local. The reason it asks to store your voice is because they need to send it to their backend for recognition.

But voice rec is not local Voice rec was local until about ten years ago. You could even buy software dictation products that installed from CDROM and didn't need a network connection. I shouldn't need a network connection to do anything voice on my own device. It should only reach out to the network for things it doesn't have local knowledge of.

Yes. Is there a voice dialer for Android any more that does the voice recognition locally? There's nothing in the F-Droid store.

Re: New study: Google manipulates users into constant tracking

#348

Post by tonytamps »

Pxtl wrote: post #324
pyr0hu wrote: post #299

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> * use anonymous/private/porn mode browsing most of the time (except for sites I actually want to be logged in permanently) instead of this, I just use Firefox and use the Multi-Account Container function to separate my browsing

Firefox is great on desktop, but I've found it too slow and clumsy on mobile, sadly.

try Firefox Quantum in the phone. it's super slick and I've really been digging it. the workflow is the for everyone but because it supports 1pass filling the constant clear doesn't feel that bad

Re: New study: Google manipulates users into constant tracking

#349

Post by FabHK »

maximtheory wrote: post #333
FabHK wrote: post #276

My list of degooglifying actions: * switch default search engine to DuckDuckGo (can still use !s bang when one wants to see what Google has) * use tracking blocker (uBlock origin, BlockBear on iOS) * use anonymous/private/porn mode browsing most of the time (except for sites I actually want to be logged in permanently) * use Zoho as a replacement for shared Google docs * use Youtube either in private window, and/or d…

don't forget about fingerprinting: https://amiunique.org/fp

Any defence possible, short of using Tor permanently?

Re: New study: Google manipulates users into constant tracking

#350

Post by tonytamps »

tonytamps wrote: post #348
Pxtl wrote: post #324

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Firefox is great on desktop, but I've found it too slow and clumsy on mobile, sadly.

try Firefox Quantum in the phone. it's super slick and I've really been digging it. the workflow is the for everyone but because it supports 1pass filling the constant clear doesn't feel that bad

whoops, Firefox Focus
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