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Remove Google Search History Before New Privacy Policy Takes Effect

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Re: Remove Google Search History Before New Privacy Policy Takes Effect

#121

Post by snowwrestler »

ehsanu1 wrote: post #67
SquareWheel wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It sounds good in concept, but I'm concerned that somebody searching for child pornography or similar could be associated with myself. I have the same fear of running a TOR exit node.

It gives you plausible deniability, which is the point. Nobody can prove you really did those searches (though you can't prove the converse either).

Plausible deniability is needed when you want to hide your role in something. Since I'm not sharing kiddie porn, I have actual deniability. No TOR traffic needed.

Re: Remove Google Search History Before New Privacy Policy Takes Effect

#122

Post by snowwrestler »

glogla wrote: post #117
jonnathanson wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"or you have specific privacy needs/concerns" With all due respect, this attitude really disturbs me. It's becoming very common these days: the implication that only deviants, criminals, off-the-grid wackos, and the anti-social have any real need for privacy. No. I reject that premise. We all have a right to privacy, and we shouldn't have to give our reasons. (That's why it's privacy, after all!). We're quickly turni…

There is very relevant post on a webcomic for people who things that privacy is only for people who have something to hide: http://abstrusegoose.com/strips/missing_the_point.png and sometims images is worh thousand words, right?

I think that is alarmist in the context of this conversation. Google is not 2 people watching me sleep, shower, drive, date, make love, etc. It is software that stores and analyzes data that I choose to send to it. I choose to send my search terms to Google because I value the responses I get from Google; this strikes me as a voluntary exchange of value between two parties, not Big Brother from 1984.

The Abstruse Goose comic is much more applicable to pervasive government surveillance. To the extent that I fear that the government would get its hand on Google's cache of data about me, I blame the government, not Google. I think if people spent as much time focusing their attention elected officials as they spend on hand-wringing about Google, we'd probably have better laws.

(edited for grammar)

Re: Remove Google Search History Before New Privacy Policy Takes Effect

#123

Post by simon »

hackernews wrote: post #120
simon wrote: post #118

I use three browsers. Firefox for general browsing (technology and theology), Chromium for Gmail and Facebook, and Opera for blogs. I figure that keeping Google and Facebook in their own little prison should help greatly with privacy. I use DDG for searching whenever possible. Not so much to hide things (as a pastor I got used to being watched 24x7 years ago), but just to preserve what little privacy I have left.

I've tried this but find it to quite a pain to remember what browser I should be looking at what in. What I want is a browser where I can be logged into Google, and any link I click will open that link in my "private" (not logged into Google) browser. Same with Facebook, Twitter, etc. So I've started developing XUL apps to run each in their own sandbox.

I agree that it could get tedious, but I'm compartmentalized (not OCD ;-) enough in how I do things, that it has worked well for me so far.

Your XUL apps approach sounds interesting. Can you offer any pointers on what you do and how others could do it too?

Re: Remove Google Search History Before New Privacy Policy Takes Effect

#124

Post by mike-cardwell »

hyperbovine wrote: post #106
mike-cardwell wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Google makes money from your ignorance. They could put a "Disable all Tracking" button in the black bar at the top of all Google properties, but their business model relies on the majority of people not knowing they're being tracked, or not caring enough to go looking into how to disable it.

"Ignorance"? I don't understand this righteous indignation people have towards online companies who would dare to try make money off the awesome free services they provide. Some of us are completely aware of what Google does. Seeing some personalized ads in exchange for access to all the world's information seems like a fair trade-off to me.

Yes, "Ignorance". He was "ignorant" of the possibility. When you call somebody ignorant, for being ignorant of something, this is not an insult, it is a statement of fact. I don't know where you got "righteous indignation" from. There is nothing righteous about my saying he is ignorant, and there was no anger or annoyance, so I don't know where you got "indignation" from.

"Some of us are completely aware of what Google does"

And most are not. And that was my point. At no point did I state that 100% of people are unaware of what Google does, so I don't know why you felt the need to add that tidbit.

"Seeing some personalized ads in exchange for access to all the world's information seems like a fair trade-off to me."

Not really relevant to anything I said. (EDIT:) However, if "seeing some personalized ads," is the only cost you can imagine, then I'm afraid that Google is benefiting from your ignorance too. Here are two more costs:

1.) If your account is compromised, your search history is compromised and could be used against you

2.) If you get in legal trouble, your search history could be used against you

"If one would give me six lines written by the hand of the most honest man, I would find something in them to have him hanged"

Re: Remove Google Search History Before New Privacy Policy Takes Effect

#125

Post by mike-cardwell »

TeMPOraL wrote: post #107
mike-cardwell wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Google makes money from your ignorance. They could put a "Disable all Tracking" button in the black bar at the top of all Google properties, but their business model relies on the majority of people not knowing they're being tracked, or not caring enough to go looking into how to disable it.

Some people (like me) just don't mind. Tracking is not inherently bad, and they use that data to provide some value for users. If you had to inform everyone and provide opt-ins for every single feature that someone out there might not like, nothing would ever be done on the Internet. Also, running analysis on this kind of data must be pure awesomeness, from scientist's point of view ;).

You'll note that I made no statement regarding the goodness or the badness of tracking. I merely stated that Googles business model relies on the majority of people not being aware of the tracking, or not caring enough to disable it.

Re: Remove Google Search History Before New Privacy Policy Takes Effect

#126

Post by lbolla »

TeMPOraL wrote: post #107
mike-cardwell wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Google makes money from your ignorance. They could put a "Disable all Tracking" button in the black bar at the top of all Google properties, but their business model relies on the majority of people not knowing they're being tracked, or not caring enough to go looking into how to disable it.

Some people (like me) just don't mind. Tracking is not inherently bad, and they use that data to provide some value for users. If you had to inform everyone and provide opt-ins for every single feature that someone out there might not like, nothing would ever be done on the Internet. Also, running analysis on this kind of data must be pure awesomeness, from scientist's point of view ;).

Remember that "if you're not paying for it, you're the product".

http://lifehacker.com/5697167/if-youre-not-paying-for-it-you...

Re: Remove Google Search History Before New Privacy Policy Takes Effect

#127

Post by yaix »

ehsanu1 wrote: post #67
SquareWheel wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It sounds good in concept, but I'm concerned that somebody searching for child pornography or similar could be associated with myself. I have the same fear of running a TOR exit node.

It gives you plausible deniability, which is the point. Nobody can prove you really did those searches (though you can't prove the converse either).

The question is, plausible to whom? If the judge doesn't get it, you have a problem.

Re: Remove Google Search History Before New Privacy Policy Takes Effect

#128

Post by hackernews »

simon wrote: post #123
hackernews wrote: post #120

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've tried this but find it to quite a pain to remember what browser I should be looking at what in. What I want is a browser where I can be logged into Google, and any link I click will open that link in my "private" (not logged into Google) browser. Same with Facebook, Twitter, etc. So I've started developing XUL apps to run each in their own sandbox.

I agree that it could get tedious, but I'm compartmentalized (not OCD ;-) enough in how I do things, that it has worked well for me so far. Your XUL apps approach sounds interesting. Can you offer any pointers on what you do and how others could do it too?

It's pretty simple right now. I only spent an hour or so on it and will post it to GitHub when I get some more time to iron out a few kinks.

Basically you open the XUL app for the service you want to access. It acts as a chromeless firefox browser and intercepts any links you click. If it's an external link it opens it in your default browser where you wouldn't be logged into google preserving a bit of anonymity.

Re: Remove Google Search History Before New Privacy Policy Takes Effect

#129

Post by digitalchaos »

psadauskas wrote: post #5

Someone should write a Firefox plugin to allow people to anonymously exchange google cookies, like you can with the grocery store club cards.

Handing your search data off to other people still opens up potential privacy problems. There was a FF plugin that would run random web traffic in the background based on various RSS feeds you pointed at it. I forget the name but I am sure you could easily modify that to do google searches. This would obfuscate your real data just as well without handing it off to other people.

Don't like the machine? Pile more shit on it!

Re: Remove Google Search History Before New Privacy Policy Takes Effect

#130

Post by jacquesm »

jellicle wrote: post #110

I'm pretty sure EFF is wrong here. Google's Web History is basically a public version of your search history. You can turn on or off whether you want Google to rub your face in its knowledge about you. But it retains that knowledge even if you turn off the rub-in-your-face personalization part. Google retains a complete history of your interactions with them, which is not subject to this Web History setting, not dele…

Interesting.

Can you prove that?

If so, this could be a very hot potato.

If google states "Your web history is currently empty" and "web history is paused" but they continue to track your searches in a way that is tied to your identity then I think they're in breach of several laws.

They could chose to withold the ability to disable tracking. But by giving you the impression that they're not tracking you I think they're definitely across the line if they continue to track you in spite of that.

> Google retains a complete history of your interactions with them, which is not subject to this Web History setting, not deletable, not removable, and will be shared across its properties.

Is a pretty heavy accusation to make without hard proof. And if it turns out to be true I'd hate to be the one to have to explain to the EU regulatory body how "your search history is empty" can co-exist with "we have a complete history of your activity". If it is a history on my activity then my search history can not be empty and if it is empty then google should no longer have it either.

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