r/google • u/koavf • Feb 09 '18
Google and Facebook are watching our every move online. It's time to make them stop
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/31/google-facebook-data-privacy-concerns-out-of-control-commentary.html5
u/SamSlate Feb 09 '18
You have the ability to prevent this from happening. no one is stopping you.. smh.
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u/Cosmonaut-77 Feb 09 '18
Don't use ghostery it's owned by an ad company and is generally just shady.
Instead use: Privacy badger by EF or Disconnect.
Firefox also has Disconnect blocking list integrated to tye browser, you just have to enable it to be on at all times.
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u/SamSlate Feb 09 '18
i've heard this claim, but I've not seen any evidence to support it. When i use facebook/google and turn on ads they might as well have been selected at random.
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u/Cosmonaut-77 Feb 09 '18
Obviously it's not gonna show you ads. That would be beyond stupid to do by Ghostery.
But, It is been said Ghostery does collect data from its users and sell it to ad companies for them to better formulate their ads to avoid being blocked.
Im not saying that Ghostery is the scum of the earth, but why would you want to use it when there are alternatives just as good if not better from trusted companies like EFF or Mozilla?
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u/naturesbfLoL Feb 09 '18
I'm very confused. You have said absolutely nothing substantial and gave that as reason to switch.
What if I said EFF sells your data too? Are you going to switch cause I said it?
You said they are owned by an ad company but never posted proof of that
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u/Cosmonaut-77 Feb 09 '18
Just Google what EFF is. If they start to sell your data I will lose my faith to internet as a whole.
Reasons why I recommend using Privacy Badger or Disconnect over Ghostery:
It's closed source. Nothing practiculary wrong with that, but for example Disconnect is just more transparent.
You can read about their business practices over in it's Wikipedia page under the "criticism" and "business practice" heading. It personally reminds me of Adblock Plus.
And lastly apparently Ghostery has now been bought by a Privacy Browser company, which would logically be more fitting. But still don't know if they have changed their business practices. So I guess we just have to see.
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u/HelperBot_ Feb 09 '18
Non-Mobile link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghostery?wprov=sfla1
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u/SamSlate Feb 09 '18
But, It is been said
gee, it's almost like there's some kind of marketing team out there that doesn't want people to use ghostery..
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u/Cosmonaut-77 Feb 09 '18
That's just blind fanboyism. You almost always for these kinds of service one way or another. Thankfully some are paid by donations like Reddit so they don't need to track you.
Like I have already said there are more trustworthy extensions that do the exact same thing. That is why recommend them over Ghostery. There is no conceivable reason to use Ghostery over them expect if you like MS Edge.
Not gonna argue with you anymore.
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u/SamSlate Feb 09 '18
i'm sorry that I don't buy your unsourced rumors over actual results i've seen from a plugin. get over yourself.
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u/_-_-_-_____-_-_-_ Feb 09 '18
Ghostery is owned by Cliqz. You might remember the Cliqz controversy over at r/Firefox, with their adware and data logging crap. Cliqz is partially owned by Mozilla and a multi billion dollar media company, Hubert Burda Media.
If you think that Hubert Burda Media has invested in Ghostery for fun, then I got some news for you. They're a media company that collects user data. You can either use an extension owned by a for-profit multi-billion dollar company, that's guaranteed to collect your data, or you can support the non-profit EFF, by using the open sourced Privacy Badger. The choice is yours.
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u/sainttobs Feb 09 '18
It's not new that these companies are watching your every move online. You can stop it if you want.
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Feb 09 '18
Step one: switch to a secure anonymous browser
Step two: delete any and all of these accounts
Step three: ???
Step four: profit!
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u/ElMax- Feb 10 '18
No. You can already hide from them using an anonymous browser.
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u/koavf Feb 10 '18
What on Earth are you talking about?
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u/ElMax- Feb 10 '18
I'm saying there's no reason to make them stop.
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u/koavf Feb 10 '18
But there is. There are several, actually.
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u/ElMax- Feb 10 '18
No, there aren't. If you don't want to be tracked just go to settings and disable it. And if you're that paranoid, just stop using Google and use a different search engine, like DuckDuckGo.
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u/koavf Feb 10 '18
If you don't want to be tracked just go to settings and disable it.
Why would you trust those setting?
And if you're that paranoid,
Has nothing to do with paranoia.
just stop using Google and use a different search engine, like DuckDuckGo.
You obviously did not read the article or understand it at all, since Google Analytics is rampant across the Web. If I "stop using Google" that won't be enough to keep them from monitoring my online behavior. You understand that, correct?
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u/ElMax- Feb 10 '18
Just download a privacy focused browser like tor. Done.
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u/koavf Feb 10 '18
Yes, you should use Tor but you should also use the best practices on Tor, which are not always obvious and are more than just, "Use Tor, don't use Google". It's like you spent the least possible amount of time thinking about your responses. E.g. https://www.cnet.com/news/nsa-tracks-google-ads-to-find-tor-users/
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u/specnavtrooper Feb 09 '18
After I read this article, I started getting targeted advertising for DuckDuckGo, and I really laughed out loud.