Why YSK: Because you deserve to have peace of mind. Your privacy can mean your safety. I found out about this today, and in this comment I mentioned it and said I would make something more detailed.

I bet you heard that Google tracks you, as have I. But it’s insanely daunting to see every movement, app and thing you have interacted with on your device for the last 8 years just laid out in front of you neatly. When you add your google account on your phone(or any device), it tracks this, with a timestamp, including:

-any app you used(including Contacts, Calendar, Phone, and when you pressed your home screen button-it is regarded as Samsung UI Home etc.)

-apps you viewed on google play

-map area on maps(you don’t even have to search a specific place in order for it to get logged)

-if you called a place from maps(if you press the call button from maps to call a place and make a reservation, for example)

-images you saw and searched for on your browser

-location, video and voice notes and more

It is mentioned that if you log in on another device, it can keep track of this on that device as well.

#What can you do?

The first thing you can do is turn it off. Log on your google account, press the icon on the top right, then press on “Manage your Google Account”. On the left side you will see a panel, choose “Data and privacy”, and scroll on the center of the screen to see History settings, and press on My activity. You can choose to turn it off if you want. Make sure to stroll around to manage your advertisement settings, location settings, subscriptions and so on.

I also recommend switch to Proton Mail if you can.

#How I found out?

Recently, as you probably know, Youtube decided to be foolish(yes, more than usual) and force its users to either consume ads or buy Premium, blocking you after three viewed videos if you use any form of ad block. I said ew, no. Let’s use yt clients that don’t scrape your data and allow you to have privacy and no ads, it’s about time I jump ship.

I didn’t want to have to manage every subscription and videos in playlists manually(it would take days). I wanted something for my desktop, and I stumbled upon FreeTube. They have a guide that tells you how to export subscriptions and videos, the whole thing.

Following the instructions, I inevitably stumbled upon my managed data. It’s a weird feeling seeing all that was. I vaguely remember how I felt in those years, but I never thought I would see what I was doing or what app I was using then. Inevitably we forget some trivial things in our lives, but this is what gets to be remembered, and this is the proof that we existed. It’s strange.

Ending note: I assume most people here probably already know this, but I just wanted to pass this along for awareness purposes. I knew that I wanted to have random stats at the end of my life to like, review and read, but not like this.

  • 👁️👄👁️
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    42 years ago

    It’s become very apparent that all their creepy tracking hasn’t even improved their advertising, and clearly not their AI. So wtf is their data hoarding even going to if they aren’t improving from any of it?

    • AToM.exe
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      02 years ago

      Wait until he finds out about Google Maps Timeline.

      • @[email protected]
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        62 years ago

        Are you using an app? Seen the multiple comments thing happen, so has me wondering if it is an app that is causing it or a certain version of lemmy.

        • AToM.exe
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          22 years ago

          I was using Liftoff for some days now. I like the interface but now I see it’s somehow buggy. - responding from Jerboa

        • Rikudou_Sage
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          72 years ago

          Probably general network lags when the instance was overloaded. Lemmy seems to not handle that very well for now, be it in browser or in an app.

    • AToM.exe
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      32 years ago

      Wait until he finds out about Google Maps Timeline.

      • @[email protected]
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        72 years ago

        I don’t think I could live without timelines. Makes tracking hours and miles a million times easier when invoicing people.

        • @[email protected]
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          32 years ago

          One of the best things about it! I’m so forgetful when moving between multiple customers

      • @[email protected]
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        12 years ago

        I don’t think I could live without timelines. Makes tracking hours and miles a million times easier when invoicing people.

    • AToM.exe
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      122 years ago

      Wait until he finds out about Google Maps Timeline.

  • @[email protected]
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    -112 years ago

    I honestly don’t care. It’s all analytical metadata and they just serve ads. For the vast majority of users privacy has nothing to do with safety.

    • Milady
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      72 years ago
      1. Ads influence how you think about products

      2. Cambridge analytica manipulating facebook users via ads, influencing elections

      3. By saying you don’t care about your privacy, you’re willingly ignoring any downsides. You’re saying that you, or a close one, will never do anything your government might disagree with, even in the future. Governments change, people can be in charge you never thought should be, and some people might not like what you do, whatever that could be. (I’m having a hard time explaining this one, words don’t come easily rn, see edward snowden “Arguing that you don’t care about the right to privacy because you have nothing to hide, is no different than saying you don’t care about free speech because you have nothing to say.”)

      4. By contributing your data, you’re helping other, less “fun” countries discriminate against people. It’s really easy to guess using algorithms if someone is gay, had premarital sex, etc. And some people don’t like some others based on that, and would rather they were dead.

    • LoudWaterHombre
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      2 years ago

      If there are no iron strings in your blanket, then Google is also tracking your fort

  • @[email protected]
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    52 years ago

    I am a gmail user so I’m not in a position to preach, but I am glad that I’m not using an entire phone made by an ad company.

      • @[email protected]
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        12 years ago

        It’s obvious from this that you consider Apple an ad company, and if you think that then I know already I won’t be able to convince you with reason. Apple Search Ads does exist, and monetizes promotion of apps. I suppose this makes them “an ad company?” Suffice to say I disagree. Google makes phones too but I’d hardly call them “a phone company.” Apple’s business is in selling hardware/software devices. And while their privacy record isn’t perfect, they’ve figured out that they have more to gain than lose by restricting tracking and foregrounding user privacy. If you don’t think Apple are strict about this, then I guess you haven’t bought any ads in the last 2 years. I have. I develop apps for Android and iOS and iOS has definitely gotten tighter since 14.5. You can get away with much more tracking, as an advertiser, on Android.

        • @[email protected]
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          32 years ago

          If you don’t want to change anything major in your phone or go into the technical stuff, iPhone is better, but the best phone privacy-wise is a Pixel with custom (privacy oriented) ROM installed, since Pixels have the best security features among Android.

          • @[email protected]
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            12 years ago

            I’m curious what makes pixels inherently better at privacy than other Android phones once you replace the ROM?

            • @[email protected]
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              2 years ago

              GrapheneOS has strict sandboxing for all apps. App A cannot talk to App B unless given explicit user permission. Google Play services is not installed by default, and if you do install it, it’s subject to the same sandbox. This basically addresses all userspace tracking concerns, unless you actively choose to weaken those defaults.

            • @[email protected]
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              12 years ago

              GrapheneOS has strict sandboxing for all apps. App A cannot talk to App B unless given explicit user permission. Google Play services is not installed by default, and if you do install it, it’s subject to the same sandbox. This basically addresses rid of all userspace tracking concerns, unless you actively choose to weaken those defaults.

              (There are still concerns associated with the closed source firmware of the baseband modem)

          • @[email protected]
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            12 years ago

            So, the solution to not give Google your precious privacy data through their software is to give Google your precious money to buy their hardware?

              • @[email protected]
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                12 years ago

                I get that. But it’s like sticking it to Google by not using their operating system… While handing them money for a phone.

                I get that it’s an option, and maybe the best. But at the same time it feels like a shitty deal.

    • @[email protected]
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      2 years ago

      The biggest privacy problems are Google location services, G play services and G analytics in other apps. This approach doesn’t fix that.

    • @[email protected]
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      2 years ago

      While this helps… If you have any Google software, it tends to call home anyway by using hardcoded IPs into their apps. Samsung does likewise. The solution being, not only a DNS server, but also a serious firewall in the router. And, even better, a ROM you can trust, such as LineageOS.

  • @[email protected]
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    22 years ago

    I use a couple of counter measures and I am quite happy since years and hope to be as invisible as possible for tracking companies. I have a samsung phone, this is what I did:

    • on your pc install adb
    • when switching on the phone for the first time, dont connect to wifi, dont make or use a google account, press skip and all the fake “warnings” until you see your launcher
    • download a browser apk of your liking and install it via browser
    • activate developer mode for apk (you find the instructions online)
    • via command line remove all samsung bloatware
    • uninstall all google apps except the absolute must haves like “google play service” and so on
    • go into settings - apps in your phone and deactivate all remaining google apps that you dont dare to delete via adb
    • install an alternate app store via your newly installed browser
    • install wireguard and setup connection to your vpn at home
    • on my homeserver install pihole or adguard home to block google out completely
    • set a different search engine like qwant or so in your browser
    • install all the security add ins in your browser to your liking

    As a result, I am almost google free, except probably for samsungs trackers. Sometimes apps or commerce websites dont work as they use google captcha or things like that.

  • @[email protected]
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    22 years ago

    I discovered google had recorded all the hashtags I had visited on mastodon. I thought I had turned off this recording, but there were additional categories which I think they have added since the last time I was there.

    Of course the UK government and ISP record everything too, by URL, so that includes hashtags, even this post has a unique URL.

  • @[email protected]
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    2 years ago

    Turning off your history in Google is about as useful as using the incognito mode in Chrome. It just hides it from you, but you can be sure Google is keeping their own copy. Don’t use Chrome, gmail, Google docs… Use custom ungoogled roms (GrapheneOS, LineageOS). Switch to Linux, use privacy friendly dns, or even your own… The path to privacy is a long and arduous constant fight, full of inconveniences.

      • @[email protected]
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        242 years ago

        It’s closed source, so how can you really know what Apple are or are not doing? I don’t know if publicly available external audits are done on Apples software, but I doubt it.

    • @[email protected]
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      132 years ago

      The path to privacy is a long and arduous constant fight, full of inconveniences.

      You got that right! Especially when rooting your phone is the best option. I never did figure it out, that shit is hard!

      • @[email protected]
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        42 years ago

        I don’t root my phone these days anymore. It makes a whole host of other issues with banking applications and the like, plus a nasty app might take advantage of the elevation as well. Either a full rom, or going the path of adb disabling system apps. Not pretty. Using GrapheneOS these days.

        • @[email protected]
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          12 years ago

          I couldn’t unlock my bootloader on my oneplus 9 pro. I also tend to need DETAILED instructions for things, so there is a chance I missed a step and didn’t realize it. I also didn’t know that there’s a difference between rooting and running a different OS…I thought they were the same thing.

          • @[email protected]
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            12 years ago

            I also didn’t know that there’s a difference between rooting and running a different OS…I thought they were the same thing.

            Root gives you and allowed programs special access and “abilities”, but it doesn’t change the whole OS. Why you even need root though? Tbh I was just lazy figuring out how to install microg so I root to do so. And enjoying sold QOL and a different webview in the process.

            Usually the bootloader is unlocked via adb, but some phones, like ones from xiaomi, needs another step or two. I bet there are details videos on YouTube.

            • @[email protected]
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              12 years ago

              I was trying to degoogle and permanently remove the google shit, and at the time this model had just come out and there wasn’t much about it. I may try again on this phone when it starts to go.

      • @[email protected]
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        22 years ago

        I don’t root my phone these days anymore. It makes a whole host of other issues with banking applications and the like, plus a nasty app might take advantage of the elevation as well. Either a full rom, or going the path of adb disabling system apps. Not pretty. Using GrapheneOS these days.

        • @[email protected]
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          32 years ago

          Good point! Yeah I couldn’t even unlock my bootloader on my Oneplus 😭 so i disable what apps I can these days

    • dekatron
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      72 years ago

      I turned off my activity history, and I’ve noticed a needlessly degraded experience on some Google apps, like in Maps where it no longer labels your home location as “Home”, but it’s a saved location anyway.

  • @[email protected]
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    22 years ago

    I have been very happy with my new email provider, with all the info being sent to my inbox now I didn’t want Google seeing it all before me. (mailbox.org is who I went with for the curious )

    • @[email protected]
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      -52 years ago

      Mailbox is great! You get so much with teh account (cloud drive, calendar, notes, online docs, spreadsheet etc)

  • @[email protected]
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    62 years ago

    I downloaded duckduckgo which blocks all the app tracking and it did shock me just how much data was being collected.

  • archivedplus
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    22 years ago

    I want to know if the proton unlimited subscription is worth it?

    • @[email protected]
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      32 years ago

      I changed over to it and I am very happy with Proton. The only thing I don’t use is the new password keeper.

      • Entropy
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        22 years ago

        I wish they had a working API for their online storage, so I could use rclone with it to back up some stuff

      • archivedplus
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        22 years ago

        thank you! its all pretty confusing, I’m thinking about open source as well, AnonAddy and simplelogin seem great and being open, I would be more than welcome to donate in the near future if I come to like their work. I just find different tools for email/passwords/vpn, mildly irritating

      • @[email protected]
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        82 years ago

        I mean, it’s unlikely you’ll get a legitimate private option for free. The people hosting private email servers with encryption as the selling point can’t very well serve ads, and certainly aren’t tracking your emails. They would be operating at a constant loss. Would the money be coming strictly from donations? A subscription is the only feasible way a service like that could operate.

        You’re going to have to pay one way or another. Either with money, or with your data. It’s up to you what you decide

    • Atemu
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      22 years ago

      Could you summarise their important points and sources? I don’t want to watch a cringy YT video.