How to turn off Google's "privacy sandbox" ad tracking, and why you should • Hacker News Board

Re: How to turn off Google's "privacy sandbox" ad tracking, and why you should

#161

Post by cpeterso » Fri, Dec 22, 2023, 6:16 AM UTC

goku12 wrote: post #60

Always42 wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

this. I went as far as uninstalling chrome ~1 year ago on my daily driver personal desktop. I use firefox as much as possible at work, but it is "not supported" by our IT department. Confluence doesn't even work properly with firefox, its insane. Try pasting a photo you copied into your clipboard (by selecting the file) into confluence and it wont work.

With the future of the open web and privacy at stake, it's imperative that we stop letting the IT department or some random web service from dictating our choice of web browsers based on their convenience. If something doesn't work on Firefox, we should be collectively putting pressure on those in charge, letting them know that their laziness and lame excuses amount to forcing us to install spyware on our system.

You can report websites that don’t work in Firefox on webcompat.com and Mozilla web developers will test and diagnose the problem. When possible, they attempt to reach web developers at the site (using personal contacts or referrals when official channels aren’t working) to share the bug report and a suggested fix. In other cases, Firefox can include a site intervention script to patch the site or send a different browser User-Agent string to make it work.

Re: How to turn off Google's "privacy sandbox" ad tracking, and why you should

#162

Post by Rapzid » Fri, Dec 22, 2023, 6:28 AM UTC

contravariant wrote: post #22

urbandw311er wrote: post #12

If you care at all about privacy and the future of a free Internet, this really should be that watershed moment that makes you take your head out of the sand. Seriously. Uninstall Chrome today and switch to something else. It’s only if enough people do it that they lose their grip and influence.

Also, switch to something non-Chromium if at all possible. Which brings us in the paradoxical situation that if you want there to be any choice left at all in browsers then you're pretty much forced to choose firefox.

I'll switch to FF when they let the scrollbars be styled properly so my got-damn apps don't look like got-damn 1999 with those ugly ass scroll gutters.

Between that and the embed situation FF is clearly engaged in some sorta self-sabotage cycle.

Re: How to turn off Google's "privacy sandbox" ad tracking, and why you should

#163

Post by bbor » Fri, Dec 22, 2023, 6:29 AM UTC

dathery wrote: post #14

bbor wrote: post #7

The idea is that instead of the dozens of third-party cookies placed on websites by different advertisers and tracking companies, Google itself will track your interests in the browser itself, controlling even more of the advertising ecosystem than it already does. Google calls this “enhanced ad privacy,” perhaps leaning into the idea that starting in 2024 they plan to “phase out” the third-party cookies that many ad…

I get why Chrome has to prioritize the things it does, but this kind of reasoning feels so backwards to me. I'm sorry that blocking cross-site tracking makes it harder for ad companies to make money, but that's just not my concern. My browser is supposed to act in _my_ interests. It's the _user_ agent, after all. I'm not going to give any sympathy to the company that built the internet into the ad-supported hellscape…

I guess my point is: if you’re mad at this but still support capitalism you’re being inconsistent. The only possible fix for this is government action, and capitalism has led to regulatory capture which means we get basically 0 government action

EDIT: this is disregarding the “everyone boycott display ads companies and we’ll kill the industry with the invisible hand of the market” but I don’t have a ton of faith in that one

Re: How to turn off Google's "privacy sandbox" ad tracking, and why you should

#164

Post by ornornor » Fri, Dec 22, 2023, 6:29 AM UTC

insanitybit wrote: post #16

urbandw311er wrote: post #12

If you care at all about privacy and the future of a free Internet, this really should be that watershed moment that makes you take your head out of the sand. Seriously. Uninstall Chrome today and switch to something else. It’s only if enough people do it that they lose their grip and influence.

What does a "free" internet look like without ads? Serious question, because right now ads pay for a lot. Ads are why we have reddit and twitter - two sites that I think a lot of people like. Ads are why I could run a wordpress blog as a young student. If you assume "the current internet is good, but we want to improve privacy" what Google is doing makes sense. Advertisers can still say "ok that person likes cars I'l…

> reddit and twitter - two sites that I think a lot of people like.

I don’t know how good of an example these sites are. They’re turning into gigantic dumpster fires very fast.

Re: How to turn off Google's "privacy sandbox" ad tracking, and why you should

#165

Post by mediumsmart » Fri, Dec 22, 2023, 6:34 AM UTC

Just in case anyone missed the memo

Google is an advertising company that only makes money with the shitty part of the internet which is why that part is expanding.

The chrome plated gmail cohorts have been educated to read for free and publish for compensation. They need a shitty internet to thrive, post and "make something awesome" in.

The shitty internet is doing fine and raising the participants it needs.

The free internet is indestructible and made by people who care. And of course it belongs to the minority.

Re: How to turn off Google's "privacy sandbox" ad tracking, and why you should

#166

Post by GeoAtreides » Fri, Dec 22, 2023, 6:49 AM UTC

mderazon wrote: post #78

clouddrover wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Multiple profiles in Firefox: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/profile-manager-create-...

I know about this actually, but it's tucked in where none can find it and not really the same visibility as Chrome profiles and easily switchable

so... then what's keeping you from switching? the feature exists, you can use it right now -- just create two shortcuts on the desktop, one for personal, one for work. they can even run at the same time!

Re: How to turn off Google's "privacy sandbox" ad tracking, and why you should

#167

Post by phatskat » Fri, Dec 22, 2023, 7:17 AM UTC

jorvi wrote: post #131

freeAgent wrote: post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How much more evil do you want Google to get before it’s problematic that they control the portal through which most people interact with the web (both browser/engine and search)? And why not use Firefox (or Safari/WebKit) already?

> And why not use Firefox (or Safari/WebKit) already? Mozilla these days seems more happy at pumping out tech-woke messages rather than being privacy first. Hell, they’ve refused to add an adblocker to their iOS browser for years now. 3rd party WebKit browsers are more rare, thus less well-developed. I’ve settled on using Brave.

What are “tech-woke” messages?

Re: How to turn off Google's "privacy sandbox" ad tracking, and why you should

#168

Post by Erratic6576 » Fri, Dec 22, 2023, 7:36 AM UTC

insanitybit wrote: post #16

urbandw311er wrote: post #12

If you care at all about privacy and the future of a free Internet, this really should be that watershed moment that makes you take your head out of the sand. Seriously. Uninstall Chrome today and switch to something else. It’s only if enough people do it that they lose their grip and influence.

What does a "free" internet look like without ads? Serious question, because right now ads pay for a lot. Ads are why we have reddit and twitter - two sites that I think a lot of people like. Ads are why I could run a wordpress blog as a young student. If you assume "the current internet is good, but we want to improve privacy" what Google is doing makes sense. Advertisers can still say "ok that person likes cars I'l…

[dead]

Re: How to turn off Google's "privacy sandbox" ad tracking, and why you should

#169

Post by Erratic6576 » Fri, Dec 22, 2023, 7:38 AM UTC

GuB-42 wrote: post #110

g-b-r wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It was NOT inaccessible Look up geocities maybe, most providers gave you some free space anyhow

Geocities had ads for most of its life. It also ended up dead because it wasn't profitable anyways. Not the best example. Providers didn't offer free space, you paid for it with your subscription, and you would lose if you changed provider.

[dead]

Re: How to turn off Google's "privacy sandbox" ad tracking, and why you should

#170

Post by Moru » Fri, Dec 22, 2023, 8:23 AM UTC

resoluteteeth wrote: post #79

madeofpalk wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Within Europe you get a different dialog box that has more explicit buttons, removing any sort of plausible deniability for Google here. Looks like this https://blog.incogni.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/enhanced...

Fascinating. This really proves that Google knows that the version it's using elsewhere is a dark pattern.

Ofcourse they do, they all do. And they´re not even very secretive about it.

Not the first time and not the last time they treat US customers differently because of this.